Minagi's Adventure
by johnkwright
Summary: Minagi's pirating uncovers an ancient plot and drags in the whole Tenchi clan. A OAV/Manga fic. -- Minagi finds herself involved in murder, ancient tomes, and tequila.
1. "A pirate's woes"

[Author's Note: This story is placed in the "No Need for Tenchi" manga  
universe, an extension of the OAV series. It includes individuals and  
references events from the first eight mangas.]  
  
No Need for Tenchi - Minagi's Adventure  
Chapter 1: A Pirate's Woe  
  
Deep in space, the Hinase floated along a particularly unused convoy  
route, awaiting the arrival of its targets. Inside, a slender figure  
casually sprawled back in the command chair and sipped a small cup of  
tea. Her cyan spiky hair framed a delicate face with large expressive  
amber eyes and matching scars on her cheeks. The smugglers shouldn't be  
passing through this sector for another hour and she had time to kill.  
  
Leaning back, Minagi ran her fingers through her hair and sighed  
reflectively as she thought of all the recent changes in her life.   
  
First she had arrived at Earth and tried to do battle with Tenchi, but  
instead found herself fighting her double. Then she had found out she  
was the clone of Ryoko, the dreaded space pirate. All this along with  
losing her memory, becoming friends with Sasami, and eventually doing  
battle with Master Yakage.   
  
She shivered, remembering her fight with Master Yakage to regain her  
memories. Absentmindedly she rubbed where the artificial light hawk  
sword had torn through her body, jolting her memories back into  
herself. She had been so happy for him, even as she thought she was  
dying. By the time she had awaked from what she was sure was her death,  
Tenchi had slain Master Yakage and she was free to roam the Universe.   
  
Of course, things hadn't slowed down since then. Minagi frowned a  
little as she remembered her brush with death on Ryuten 2. She had been  
seriously injured in battle and drained of almost all her energy  
powering up Asahi's ship, Minasaka, from certain destruction. Only the  
intercession of Washu's medical wizardry and Ryoko's transfusions had  
kept her alive. Remembering how close they had all come to death, she  
smiled at Ryoko's attempt to keep her alive.  
  
"Maybe she wasn't such a bad pirate after all," she mused. "Either way,  
here I am, continuing to follow in Ryoko's footsteps by being a space  
pirate. Well, a good space pirate," she amended. There were more than  
enough bad smugglers and corrupt government officials to keep a girl  
busy.  
  
Just like the three ships she was waiting for. She smiled as she  
reviewed their manifests, which had obviously been doctored. They were  
jumping between every shady spaceport in the Galaxy; their next  
destination simply had to be V1z, one of the worst ports around. "So  
I'll just intercept these guys and see what they're in such a rush to  
deliver."  
  
[Minagi?] Hinase's computer called. [The three ships are now just  
entering our sensor range. They won't see us in our powered down state  
until it's too late for them.]  
  
"Excellent! Hinase, please bring them up onscreen. Power up our systems  
and let's get ready to greet our `victims'." She bounced slightly with  
excitement. Pirating was exciting work and she just loved what she did.   
  
[Minagi, there's something else - ] Hinase started to say, but the  
images onscreen showed what was happening all too clearly.  
  
A shadow amidst space was gliding up purposefully behind the three  
freighters. When the shadow reached optimal firing range, its cloaking  
fields faded, revealing a sleek, predatory looking ship. Minagi's  
breath caught as the newcomer, moving quickly, poured devastating fire  
into one after another of the smuggler's ships. With another pass, all  
the ships were nothing more than expanding clouds of vaporized matter.  
The attacker - no, murderer, she thought angrily - disappeared again.  
  
It happened quickly, like one of Master Yakage's attacks: fast, deadly,  
and merciless.  
  
Minagi kept her eyes riveted onscreen, but her orders snapped out  
quickly and without hesitation. "Hinase, full power! Track that ship as  
best you can and get me a likely vector. Can you see if there are any  
emergency beacons coming from the ships?"  
  
She was hopeful, but deep inside she knew nobody could have survived  
such a brutal attack. Still, she closed her eyes for a second when the  
reply came back negative. A deep anger burned within her. Not only had  
somebody beaten her to her targets, they had also been unnecessarily  
slaughtered. "Nobody does that and gets away with it," she growled.  
"Hinase, do we have a vector yet?"  
  
[Yes, it looks like the ship was on a least-time course to the V1z  
port.]  
  
That was natural. "V1z port; a perfect place for thieves, murderers,  
and pirates. I think we'll fit right in. Let's go!"  
  
Hinase sighed and set course in pursuit while correlating all the known  
data. The mysterious ship's speed and firepower were significant for  
such a small frame. Its cloaking ability was very surprising, making it  
an ideal raider. But that raised the question of why it had destroyed  
the ships. Was it a rival smuggler? An enforcer for rival gangs? Hinase  
hummed silently to itself as it computed all the possible reasons for  
such an attack.  
  
Minagi pursed her lips as she reviewed Hinase's summary. She scratched  
her head in puzzlement at a disturbing piece of information. "Hinase,  
do you have any idea how a vessel that size can maintain so many power-  
hungry systems?"  
  
[I'm afraid I don't, Minagi. Such a compact and high-powered energy  
source would be far beyond the technology for this sector.]  
  
"Wonderful. Can we beat it?"  
  
[I believe so. For all its speed and firepower, that ship was attacking  
lightly armed and armored freighters with the element of surprise. I am  
equipped to do battle with cruisers and win. That ship is no real  
threat to us.]  
  
"Still, exhibit caution, Hinase," she gently scolded. "I'd be a bit  
embarrassed if we got jumped the same way."  
  
She stared off into the distance as the Hinase tore through space. She  
wasn't sure what she would find at port V1z, but she knew that whoever  
had committed those murders would pay, and pay dearly. A hard smile  
played across her face and her eyes were cold.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Hinase was finally approaching Port V1z when the sensors started  
screaming. Multiple gun platforms had locked onto the ship and were  
powering up - exactly the reception Minagi expected.  
  
[Minagi? We're being hailed from the port.]  
  
"On screen."  
  
A series of windows appeared before her, and a large toad-like face  
loomed in each of them. "I don't care who the hell you are, you're  
going to - grxlmp!" The toady's face turned a peculiar shade of green  
as his eyes bugged out even further from his face. "The space pirate  
Ryoko! P-p-please accept my most humble apologies. I never even  
realized; everyone thought you were dead. Please believe me, we don't  
have anything you'd be interested in."  
  
Minagi smiled to herself. Apparently, being a dead ringer for the dread  
space pirate Ryoko had its advantages. She realized that he was still  
pleading for her not to obliterate the entire port, and it looked like  
he was rapidly running out of breath. "Enough," she said. "I'm looking  
for a ship that probably arrived a short while ago, small, possibly  
cloaked."  
  
His expression shifted from groveling to considering. "Well, Ryoko, we  
get many ships in here and we try not to cause any trouble with our  
clientele." His voice trailed off as Minagi leaned towards the screen  
and gave a smile with her teeth bared.   
  
"I can make this go easy or I can make this go very hard for you and  
your port." She almost giggled at Hinase's shocked look at her change  
in manners. Playing Ryoko was turning out to be too much fun to pass  
up.  
  
The toady looked ready to vomit; a slimy tongue nervously flicked up  
and rubbed his eyes. "Well, we did have a ship of that sort show up an  
hour ago, but the captain is already inside somewhere. I beg you not to  
obliterate the port! I'm sure you'll be able to find him and take care  
of whatever issues you may have." His voice was slowly rising in pitch  
and volume, and was starting to give Minagi a headache.   
  
"Fine, I won't obliterate your port. Get me a docking space and I'll  
take care of business myself." The toady's look of absolute relief made  
her want to burst out laughing; she barely kept from smiling until the  
com screen was dropped.  
  
"Well, Ryoko," she thought, "you certainly have quite a reputation,  
even after 700 years imprisoned on Earth. I hope you don't mind me  
using your `rep' to get the bad guys."  
  
"Hinase," she said aloud, "can you see that ship from here?"  
  
[Yes, I'll bring it up now, Minagi.]  
  
A large screen appeared before her, showing a close up view of the ship  
from the ambush. Flat black, its sleek shape was marred by dozens of  
nodules across its surface - probably the cloaking generators. Other  
than being an unsurprisingly dull color and a small ship to begin with,  
the only other outstanding feature was a symbol by the command deck.  
Zooming in on the symbol, she gave a sharp bark of laughter. Of all the  
things to paint on a ship like that, the last thing she would have  
chosen would have been a turtle with a dove superimposed over it.  
  
She shrugged and decided to get to the matter at hand, namely capturing  
that ship's owner. Teleporting into the main bay, she was welcomed by  
the toady and several other lackeys. She wondered how he could move so  
fast.  
  
"R-Ryoko, it's such an honor to have a person of your stature visiting  
our humble port. I've taken the liberty of preparing a suitable  
reception for you at our bar."  
  
Minagi flinched inwardly at the thought of the kind of reception she  
would receive. "Uh, thanks, but I'm only interested in finding the  
captain of that ship. Does either of them have a name?"  
  
The toady cringed. "You will probably find him at the bar, as most of  
our clientele prefer to do their -" he cleared his throat -  
"transactions in a suitably private location. As for the ship's name,  
it is listed as the TurtleDove and the owner as Avashar. We don't know  
much about him, but his credentials all appeared to be in order."  
  
"Very well, lead the way."  
  
V1z's bar was the type that somehow managed to surpass the already low  
standards for fringe bars. Minagi walked in and was greeted by a range  
of smells that somehow combined the less pleasant aspects of a sewer,  
vomitorium, brewery, and a sweatshop. Wrinkling her nose, she wondered  
how anyone could stand the stench of the place, but she was beginning  
to suspect that drinking - a lot - might help.  
  
The other thing she noticed was heads swiveling to first glare at her,  
then leer as they realized she was a female, then turn a funny shade  
when they realize they were goggling at Ryoko the dread space pirate.  
Somebody screamed in the back and suddenly there was an exceedingly  
courteous and wide path straight to the bar for her and the toady. She  
struggled to keep from laughing and instead managed to glare at the  
crowd as she walked slowly to the bar.   
  
The toady was already at the bar, demanding the best drink in the house  
for their honored guest. Minagi could have sworn that he had been right  
behind her a second ago, but when she looked back all she saw were a  
number of swarthy looking thugs stampeding out. Smiling now, she went  
up to the bar and looked curiously at the three small glasses arrayed  
before her.  
  
"Only the finest for you, Mistress! We broke out our finest bottle of  
Tequila for you, and your entertainment should be here shortly. If I  
had only known earlier, we could have had all this arranged ahead of  
time and -"  
  
"Enough. You're doing fine." She wondered just what Tequila might be.  
She stared at the funny little slices of yellow fruit and the white  
powdery substance next to the drinks, then turned and looked at the  
toady. He was again nervously washing his eyes with his tongue and  
waiting for her to throw back the shots. She noticed that more people  
were watching and realized that she would have to maintain the illusion  
of Ryoko or else lose her chance of finding Avashar.  
  
Shrugging, she took the first little glass and gulped the contents  
down. Smiling confidently, she grabbed the next and threw it back. The  
toady's eyes kept switching from the yellow slices of fruit and the  
salt to her drinks and then back again. If anything, his expression  
seemed a bit awed. "Oh well," she thought, "time for the last one." She  
tossed the shot back, smiled, and then felt the equivalent of a small  
sun expanding within her.   
  
"I can't throw up," she thought desperately. Her whole world was taking  
on a very warm and fuzzy feel. Realizing the crowd was cheering, she  
smiled distantly and waved back. It seemed like this bar was an all  
right place. Distantly she heard the toady rambling on about how  
Tequila was one of the hottest black-market items one could smuggle off  
Earth. That and cows. She decided to just enjoy the warm feeling some  
more.  
  
Then she noticed that the toady was tugging at her hand and gesturing  
her to a secluded corner table with plush seating. That was good, as  
she felt sure she wasn't going to be standing for much longer. Wobbling  
slightly on the way over, she slid into the chair and groaned silently  
with relief. Luckily there was a beer waiting for her. With a sigh, she  
ran the cool glass against her forehead. Gulping the beer down seemed  
to settle her stomach. She refocused, with some difficulty, on what the  
toady was rambling about.   
  
"Mistress Ryoko, we've brought what I hope you find suitable  
entertainment. They're well bred and oiled the way you like them."  
  
"Oiled? What are -" Her question froze on the tip of her tongue as she  
saw two tanned, buff, and nearly naked men walking towards her table.  
They were nude except for a pair of sandals and a small loincloth.  
Their rippling muscles were glistening with oil. Even as her face  
flushed crimson, a small sober corner of her mind was busy reflecting  
that perhaps following in Ryoko's footsteps too closely would be more  
excitement than she needed.   
  
Her eyes were wide open. Turning to the toady, she spent a few seconds  
trying to get the words out, but he interrupted her.  
  
"I know, I know, we're trying to get some more up here. Think of these  
as your appetizers."  
  
"Excuse me, appetizers?"   
  
She began to argue when one of the men knelt down on the floor and took  
one of her feet in his large hands. "Mistress Ryoko, we understand you  
love foot massages."  
  
Foot massages? This was getting entirely too weird. She once more  
started to open her mouth to protest when the servant began to rub her  
foot.   
  
W - h - o - a.  
  
Her eyes almost rolled up into the back of her head. Now - that - was a  
foot massage.  
  
She shook her head fiercely and snarled, "Enough is enough! I'm here to  
find Avashar and I'm not going to be dissuaded by a couple of hunks  
slathered in oil giving out massages." At least not yet, part of her  
argued. The two young men scrambled back, their eyes downcast. Turning,  
she glared at the toady.  
  
He twitched and waved to a door. "There are a number of conference  
rooms smugglers use back there. I imagine you'll find him in one of  
them. Do you know what he looks like?"  
  
Minagi flinched and awkwardly cleared her throat. "Well, not really - I  
was kind of hoping you would know."  
  
"Hey, I'm only a toady. I make it my business to never get to know our  
clientele. Unless they're as beautiful as you are." He gave an oily  
smile and offered her another small glass. "Another shot of Tequila,  
Milady?"  
  
As she stalked towards the conference room door, she reflected that the  
kick she had delivered to the toady was perhaps the most consummately  
perfect kick she had ever done. Nevertheless she had business to attend  
to. Whether or not she knew what Avashar looked like, she now knew  
where to find him.  
  
She yanked open the door and stepped into total chaos. Screams and  
blaster fire echoed from a room at the end of the hallway. All types of  
shady characters were spilling in panic out of the other rooms lining  
the hallway. Like rats on a sinking ship, they scattered to the exits,  
even clawing their way past Minagi to the bar.  
  
She floated up over the press and headed towards the source of the  
disturbance. After the crowd had passed, she dropped back to the floor  
and started striding purposefully towards the last door on the right. A  
trickle of smoke was spilling out from beneath it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avashar looked steadily at the sole remaining smuggler, his gaze  
calculating, judging. The smuggler's companions were already smoldering  
corpses and the smell of their burnt flesh filled the room. The  
smuggler didn't move, a shocked look of dismay on his face.  
  
Ignoring him, Avashar wrinkled his nose at the smell and waved a hand  
ineffectually to clear the air. Stopping in mid-wave, he turned his  
head and looked over his shoulder, seemingly at nothing. Shaking his  
head in disbelief, he muttered, "What the hell is she doing here?"  
  
Turning back, he smiled and gave a shallow half bow to smuggler. "My  
apologies for interrupting your drink, but I have to be going now." He  
spoke casually, as if the two of them were at a comfortable bar - and  
not surrounded by dead bodies. The smuggler nodded numbly, his eyes  
wide.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Minagi had almost reached the door when it exploded open. A solid-  
looking man scrambled out backwards and hit the opposite wall. With a  
look of horror he turned and blindly slammed into her. She hauled him  
up in the air and shook him.  
  
"What's going on in there?"  
  
"He's killed them - he's crazy, I tell you! You've got to let me go  
before he kills us all!" The man was practically blubbering.   
  
She looked oddly at him and set him back down. "Was it someone called  
Avashar?"  
  
"Yes. He's cold. Crazy, I tell you." His eyes were wide with fear.   
  
She had never liked cowards, but she might need information from him  
later. Fixing him with a stern glare, she snapped, "Stay put. I'll be  
right back."  
  
She turned away from the sniveling wreck and lit her sword. The tequila  
buzz was gone and she felt calm and ready for battle. There was going  
to be a massive ass kicking right about - "NOW!"  
  
With a wild cry, she flew through the doorway and into the room, her  
eyes scanning automatically for threats. The sight that greeted her was  
not a pretty one. A round conference table sat in the center of the  
small room, and around it were three charred and very dead bodies.  
Sitting at the fourth seat was a stocky man, a slightly dazed  
expression on his face. She leaped onto the table, pointed her sword at  
him, and said very calmly, "Please tell me you're Avashar."  
  
His clothing was of an unusual cut, more suited to moving through the  
wilderness than lounging in a space bar. He paled and said, "No, I'm  
August Derleth, a collector of sorts. That murderer just crashed out of  
here a second ago."  
  
"Then that must have been..." Minagi's words trailed off as she  
realized that she had just run into him. She flashed instantly into the  
hallway, her blade at the ready. Avashar was nowhere to be seen. "No!"  
she shouted, cursing her own gullibility. There were at least five  
different directions Avashar could have left by, but she knew that  
there was only one final destination: his ship.  
  
Jumping back into the room, she grabbed August and said, "Hang on,  
you're coming with me."  
  
"What are you -"  
  
Together they appeared aboard the Hinase. August slumped to the deck,  
his eyes wide at the sudden feat Minagi had pulled off so casually.  
  
[Minagi, thank goodness you're here! The TurtleDove started up a few  
seconds ago and it's already destroyed two freighters. What do you want  
us to do?]  
  
"Avashar moves fast," she thought. "There's no way he could have gotten  
to the ship before I did... unless he... teleported?"  
  
"Fire up the engines and arm weapon systems," she ordered. "We're going  
to stop this here and now!"  
  
The Hinase throbbed as its powerful engines kicked in and began  
powering up its weapon systems. Minagi gritted her teeth as she watched  
the TurtleDove turn and finish off the third freighter before boosting  
out-system.  
  
"Those were the ships of my companions," cried August, cradling his  
head in his hands. "Do you realize their cargo? Oh my, oh my."  
  
"Not now!" she snapped. "Alright, Hinase, let's show him the difference  
between picking on unarmed freighters and a 100,000 ton warship! Open  
fire!"  
  
The TurtleDove's cloaking hadn't spun up yet, and Minagi's smile was  
hard as the Hinase's first volley neatly bracketed Avashar's ship. His  
only response was to further increase speed towards out-system.  
  
"He hasn't even tried cloaking yet. Hinase, blow out his engines. He  
might be a murderer, but we're not." Although she was beginning to  
seriously consider it.  
  
[Yes, Minagi.]  
  
Another volley of fire burst from the Hinase, focused solely on the  
TurtleDove's engine area. For a second the screen brightened from the  
force of the explosion. When it cleared, Minagi stared slack-jawed at  
the TurtleDove, still increasing speed, still uncloaked, and completely  
unscathed.  
  
"Hinase, what just happened? Please don't tell me that ship is  
shielded, too!"  
  
[Minagi, it appears the TurtleDove has multiple systems, but only the  
power for one or two at a time. It appears it is currently focused  
solely on shielding and speed right now.]  
  
"Apparently," Minagi replied dryly, watching the nimble TurtleDove  
("Turtle - ha," she thought) pull farther away. "I'm guessing we won't  
be able to catch him at this rate."  
  
[I'm afraid not, Minagi. We will be dropping slowly behind. In  
approximately one hour, we will lose all tracking, even if he doesn't  
cloak.]  
  
Minagi smacked her fist into her hand and turned to August. "Alright,  
can you explain what is going on around here?"  
  
August had regained some of his composure. He replied politely, "I  
believe I know exactly where that butcher is going, Milady. If you  
wouldn't mind returning me to my ship back at V1z, I would be more than  
happy to assist you."  
  
She considered for a second. At this rate they'd lose track of the  
TurtleDove and never figure out where Avashar's next target would be.  
"Fine, I'll take you back. In the meantime, you can fill me in on  
what's going on here."  
  
"I'll do my best, Mil-"  
  
"Please, call me Minagi."  
  
"Certainly. Minagi, my former associates and I are all traders of  
things rare and unique, especially books."  
  
"Books? You've got to be kidding me. Who would need smugglers for  
books?" She had heard of weird things getting smuggled, but this had to  
top the list.   
  
Stranger yet, August looked neither the bookish type nor a smuggler. He  
was a stocky man, and his clothing and bearing seemed better suited for  
tracking through an uncharted wilderness than plying the smuggling  
routes. His features were square cut and his expression honest. Wavy  
hair was combed haphazardly back from his tanned face. All this,  
combined with the keen intelligence glimmering in his eyes, made for a  
quite a puzzle.   
  
"A common misconception. Believe me, a single rare copy of Alhazred's  
Necronomicon, the Pnakotic Manuscripts, or Von Juntz's  
Unaussprechlichen Kulten is worth more than an entire freighter full of  
any other known material." His large hands began to tremble, as if  
mentioning these tomes brought back painful memories. "You see,  
collectors of these types of books are a rarified and exceptionally  
wealthy group of individuals. They would do anything to complete their  
collection of a single author or locate the last manuscript of some  
long forgotten poet."  
  
Her mind boggled that a single book could be worth so much. It was the  
perfect cargo! The pirate portion of her mind drooled at the thought of  
the kind of money she could be involved with. "Then why is Avashar  
killing you guys off?"  
  
"I fear it is because there has been a sudden change in market  
conditions. There has been a growing interest in these ancient texts,  
relics believed lost or destroyed by their races. These sources of  
knowledge and power delve into secrets of the cosmos so advanced they  
boggle the mind.  
  
"Most people dismiss these tomes as worthless relics of a bygone age.  
However, others believe they offer an insight into powers beyond our  
own dimension, powers so terrible that to harness their energy could  
confer immortality, even godhood." He sighed. "And somebody is buying  
all the ancient texts from every race. All of them. The money being  
offered could buy entire systems. All my associates see this as the  
chance to make fortunes to rival the oldest families in the known  
Galaxy."  
  
Minagi frowned. "You don't sound enthusiastic about this. Why not?"  
  
He stared off into the distance, as if he could see something else  
moving out in space that Hinase's sensors couldn't detect. "Unlike my  
associates, I had dabbled with these sources long before they were  
worth what they are today. I barely escaped with my life, and I now  
understand that there is knowledge that should never be used for any  
type of personal gain. I have refused to take part in any of these  
proceedings."  
  
"So Avashar spared you."  
  
"I don't think he was interested in me. Not in the slightest."  
  
"But he would be interested in whoever is buying up all those books,  
right?"  
  
"Yes, and that leaves only one place where collectors like me gather  
and where Avashar would go: the hidden library."  
  
[Minagi, we've arrived back at port.]  
  
"Thank you, Hinase. August, is there a way you can point me to this  
`hidden library'?"  
  
He cocked his head and looked at Minagi with a cautious expression.  
"Why are you so interested in him?"  
  
She drew a deep breath. "I have been a good pirate for a while now,  
capturing crooked traders and bringing corrupt government officials to  
justice. I personally witnessed Avashar destroy three other freighters  
and their crew no more than 50,000km from here. He has to be stopped,  
and I'm going to be the one who does it."  
  
August smiled, and with an elegant flourish drew forth a slender card.  
"For such a brave and lovely lady as yourself, how could I not assist  
you? Use this to guide your ship to the library. I pray you will arrive  
before that killer does."  
  
Minagi found herself smiling at the incongruity of the cultured  
sophistication of such a solid looking outdoorsman. She took the card  
from August and curiously turned it over. "What is this, anyway?"  
  
August gave an almost insane grin. "A library card, of course." Minagi  
and Hinase stared blankly as he broke into gales of laughter. "Library  
Card - get it?! Oh, I love it." He was still chuckling when Minagi  
gently laid a hand on his shoulder and teleported them back to the  
port. He sobered up as she turned to leave.  
  
"Minagi, be careful. There are powers involved here that you cannot  
begin to fathom. May your quest for justice succeed, and I hope to meet  
you again."  
  
August's eyes reflected a weariness that belied his warm face, as if  
his contact with these powers, whatever they were, had left a mark on  
his very soul. She smiled at this unusual smuggler. "I'll be careful,  
August. I hope to meet up with you again."  
  
Teleporting back to the Hinase, she stretched and wondered where the  
trail would lead next. "Hinase, how long to get to the library at top  
speed?"  
  
[At least 20 hours, Minagi.]  
  
"Great, there's time to grab a bath and get some rest." She headed off  
to the bath, finally starting to realize that she smelled bad and her  
head was throbbing. This was turning out to be some kind of adventure.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Minagi slowly woke up. Giving a long cat-like stretch, she snuggled  
back under the covers for a second. She felt a lot better after a bath  
and a good night's rest. Her thoughts drifted off to when she had run  
into Avashar and hadn't even realized it. Try as she might, she  
couldn't distinctly recall his features (Tequila). He was tall and  
broad shouldered, but nothing distinctive. His features were sharp and  
his hair cropped short, but all of it had been distorted by his acting.  
  
Interlacing her fingers behind her head, she stared up at the ceiling.  
His stunt had been clever but it seemed entirely too rushed. "I'm sure  
I could have taken him out then and there if I hadn't been drinking,"  
she berated herself. "But why did he bump into me, anyway? Why didn't   
he just teleport straight out from the conference room?"  
  
Great, another piece of the puzzle that didn't seem to fit anywhere.  
Avashar was turning out to be more and more trouble.  
  
Finally sitting up, she stretched once more and got out of bed.  
Yawning, she teleported onto the command deck, still clad only in her  
nightshirt. She bit off a second yawn and greeted Hinase cheerfully.  
  
"Morning, Hinase!"  
  
[Good morning, Minagi. I hope you feel refreshed from your time at  
V1z.]  
  
"I do indeed, Hinase. Remind me if we ever find smugglers carrying  
Tequila to open fire immediately. That stuff is pure evil." She felt  
much better, but she shivered to think what kind of mischief she would  
have gotten into with a couple more drinks under her belt. "How far are  
we from the library?"  
  
[Five hours, Minagi.]  
  
"Five hours?! You mean to tell me I've been asleep for fourteen  
hours?!"   
  
Hinase's main crystal nodded ruefully. [And we couldn't wake you up.  
You were too deeply asleep.]  
  
As Minagi floated away to get ready, she decided that simply blowing up  
any smuggler of Tequila would be too kind a fate for them. Better to  
make them drink their wares and suffer through the following day.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
4 hours later  
  
[The library and its immediate environs should be coming up onscreen  
any second now, Minagi.]  
  
Minagi nodded and kept her eyes focused on the main display window. She  
felt slightly nervous and worried that she might not have reached the  
library in time to save anyone. Her heart sank as the first gutted  
ships came into view.  
  
"We're too late, Hinase. We're too late."   
  
Smugglers or not, nobody needed to be slaughtered like that. Tears  
formed in her eyes as even more shattered ships appeared around a  
slowly tumbling larger ship. Dozens of trading ships, couriers, and  
private vessels floated around its shattered remains. Its hull was  
marred by extensive damage, and a number of decks gaped open to the  
vacuum of space.  
  
"Hinase, is there any sign of the TurtleDove?" Minagi had already  
checked the sensors but didn't want to leave anything to chance.  
  
[I'm sorry, Minagi, but we're not picking anything up. Nor are we  
registering any life forms on any of the ships. Wait - there is  
something deep within the library, but there is too much interference.  
I can't make out what it is.]  
  
"Hinase, stay at full alert. I'm going aboard to find out what that  
source is and to see if Avashar has left any clues. If that ship  
appears, do your best to destroy it. If you cannot, then escape and get  
help."  
  
[Minagi, we would never leave you!] Hinase sounded upset at the thought  
of abandoning her.  
  
"I understand." She smiled gently at the main crystal and laid her hand  
on its trembling surface. "Don't worry about me, I can survive in a  
vacuum until you return with help."  
  
[Very well, but be careful.]   
  
The crystal leaned in close and she gave it a hug. She then  
straightened up and looked at the most damaged section of the library  
ship. Swallowing once, she teleported just outside the damaged area.   
  
Floating in the dead of space, her eyes narrowed slightly as she took  
in the massive damage up close. "I never would have guessed Avashar's  
ship would have been capable of such damage," she mused. "I'm glad I  
told the Hinase to evacuate the area if things got too hairy." Steeling  
herself for the horrors she knew she would find inside, she drifted  
slowly into the shattered bulk of the library.  
  
As the darkness wrapped around her, she brought her sword to life, its  
glow imposing a harsh light upon her immediate area. Shadows cut with  
razor clarity in the airless void, and shapes twisted in the light with  
startling speed. Her heart raced in her chest; just because the only  
possible life source was far ahead didn't mean a trap couldn't be  
awaiting her. Worse yet, dead bodies would loom up suddenly, rapid  
decompression having done horrible things to faces and hands exposed to  
the vacuum.  
  
Minagi was no coward. She had faced death more than once and didn't  
fear it like most people. But moving through this tomb in the darkness  
scared her more than she wanted to admit.   
  
She closed her eyes and remembered Master Yakage once telling her that  
fear was only your enemy if you let it master you. Remembering him  
brought back memories of Ryoko, Sasami, Washu, Tenchi, and everyone  
else. The thought of her friends warmed her heart and she felt  
confidence flow back into her. Her breathing settled down. She moved  
forward again; no ghosts were going to stop her.  
  
Her attention was soon drawn to what was lining the corridors of the  
ship, the rooms, everywhere. Books, millions of books! In some places  
where restraining fields had failed before the ship settled down, the  
corridors were filled with countless books. In many places she had to  
phase her way through hundreds of feet of books bumping together. She  
felt a chill run through her when she accidentally phased through a  
dead librarian floating amidst a particularly thick area of books.  
Minagi tried not to think about how the dead body reminded her of  
August.  
  
Soon she made it into another clear area. Phasing back to solidity, she  
flew down the wide corridor. There were signs of violence; bodies of  
guards and librarians floated in crystal clouds of their own blood. She  
slowed down as she approached a massive vault with its door blown clear  
off its hinges. Power shields and other esoteric defensive measure lay  
shattered and broken around it.  
  
"Whoever designed this area sure didn't want anyone getting at it," she  
thought. Scanning the area carefully, she realized there was a faint  
glow coming from within the vault. Steeling herself, she raised her  
sword slightly and flew straight into the chamber. Standing there was  
Avashar, a glow surrounding his body and a slight smile on his face.  
Minagi noticed that a small field kept breathable air in the chamber.  
  
With a snarl, she launched a powerful strike right at him. She crowed  
triumphantly as her blade carved through the air in an incandescent  
streak. The fool hadn't even brought up his own weapon. Minagi's blade  
carried clear through Avashar with no shock of impact, sending her  
tumbling head over heels in front of him. Quick as thought, she  
recovered and sent a tremendous blast of energy directly into Avashar's  
chest. It, too, passed clean through his body and exploded with a  
tremendous fury against the far vault wall.  
  
"What?" She knew her attacks were enough to bring down any opponent.  
How could he stand there and let those attacks pass clear through -  
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Disgust was evident in her voice  
as she made out a holographic projector on the floor. Squatting down,  
she flicked the machine to play and straightened back up.  
  
"The dread space pirate Ryoko, how nice of you to drop by." Avashar's  
image gave a mocking bow before straightening up and continuing to talk  
to Minagi in a calm yet deliberate voice.  
  
"As you can plainly see, neither of us will be getting our hands on the  
collected knowledge of a thousand races any time soon. I'm not sure why  
you've decided to get involved in all this, but your interference is  
not appreciated." A grim smile crossed his face.  
  
"From the records I have, I can't imagine why you would be interested  
in any printed material. Nevertheless, I must insist you stay out of  
these affairs. You are meddling with powers far beyond your ken." With  
a dramatic flourish, a keen blade rippled out of Avashar's hand,  
sizzling with a dark aura that was almost painful to look at. "Next  
time, I will not avoid you."  
  
With his final statement the holographic projector snapped off, leaving  
Minagi with only her blade for light again. She stared down at the  
projector, her mind whirling with possibilities. Did he destroy this  
entire place? But then, what affairs were left to be completed? More  
importantly, how was she going to find Avashar and take him up on his  
promise?  
  
Minagi thought about the sword in Avashar's hand and likewise was faced  
with even more questions. If there was anything Master Yakage had  
taught her about, it was swords. That blade in Avashar's hand seemed -  
wrong, but she couldn't place her finger on why. She reached down and  
grabbed the projector; she had to review that recording again.  
  
She turned her thoughts from Avashar's blade and looked around the  
chamber. Everything in the vault had the appearance of almost being  
melted, as if exposed to a tremendous amount of heat and energy.  
Floating upwards, she saw that every shelf was swept clean, from the  
lowest to the highest, which was 10 meters from the floor. As her spiky  
hair almost brushed the ceiling, she noticed a series of small cameras  
placed along the tops of the book shelves.  
  
"I wonder where they lead," Minagi mused.   
  
Phasing, she stuck her head into the wall behind one camera and started  
following the cabling. She had to drop her sword and instead held a  
small ball of energy in her hand to light the way as she floated  
through walls and floors. The cabling wound for what seemed forever  
before ending up in what must have been the command chamber.  
  
She phased back into solidity and looked around. With a hum, her blade  
flashed back into life and cast its light across the room. More bodies  
floated lifelessly, but she was only interested in finding the security  
recordings. After searching, she found the crystal storage unit for the  
security cameras, but it appeared to have suffered damage, maybe due to  
a surge from the power released inside the vault.  
  
Grabbing the crystal, she prepared herself to teleport back to the  
Hinase. She felt grateful to be finally getting out of this floating  
tomb and back to her ship.  
  
[Minagi! I'm so glad you're back, I was getting worried about you!]  
Hinase's crystal floated up to her, blinking happily.  
  
"I'm glad to be back too, Hinase." She smiled, relieved to be somewhere  
with light, warmth, air, and friends. "It was a very unpleasant place  
over there."  
  
Her voice trailed off, and Hinase's crystal beeped worriedly. She shook  
herself out of her reverie and held up the library's security crystal.  
"Hinase, do you think you can get any data off this?"  
  
Flashing furiously for a second, Hinase's crystal floated nearer to the  
security crystal and bathed it in a soft red light. [I'm sorry, Minagi,  
it's too damaged for me to gain access to the information. I don't have  
the proper equipment.] Hinase sounded guilty for letting Minagi down.  
  
"It's not your fault, Hinase. It's just that this recording may be the  
only lead we have to where Avashar went and what happened to all these  
ships." She was positive Avashar's ship didn't have the firepower to  
take out all those ships and the library at once. And if he didn't, who  
did?  
  
[What are we going to do?]  
  
"There's only one person I know who might be able to help us with  
this." Her spirits began to rise. "Hinase, plot a course for Earth.  
It's time we enlisted help from the Greatest Genius in the Universe,  
Washu!" Minagi looked forward to seeing her friends again, and if it  
helped her nab Avashar in the process and solve this mystery, so much  
the better!  



	2. "Trouble shared"

[Author's Note: This story is placed in the "No Need for Tenchi" manga   
universe, an extension of the OAV series. It reflects individuals and   
events from the first eight mangas.]  
  
No Need for Tenchi - Minagi's Adventure  
Chapter 2: Trouble Shared  
  
  
  
"Minagi!" Sasami dashed across the pier with her pigtails flying. Tears  
of joy in her eyes, she gave Minagi a surprisingly strong hug. "I'm so  
glad to see you!"  
  
Minagi smiled down at Sasami and realized how much she missed her and  
everyone else. It was like a missing piece of her life had returned.  
Her eyes glistened wetly as she realized she had friends and family who  
loved her and she loved back. Hugging Sasami fiercely, she found  
herself blinking rapidly to clear her eyesight.  
  
"I'm glad to see you too, Sasami."  
  
Looking up, she saw Tenchi grinning widely at her.   
  
"Minagi! It's good to see you again, and thanks for not smashing into  
the house or anything! We've just finished rebuilding from Mihoshi's  
last visit."   
  
Somehow, Mihoshi managed to look unabashed. Instead she seemed as happy  
as Sasami and was busy hopping up and down. "Minagi! How is  
everything?" It seemed her spirit was indomitable when it came to  
property damage.   
  
"I'm fine, everyone, but I was wondering if Washu was around?"   
  
With Sasami at her side, Minagi sauntered towards the Masaki house. She  
wondered where Ryoko and Ayeka were.  
  
As if by cue, Washu, Ryoko and Ayeka came around the corner. Minagi's  
eyes widened at what she saw. She quickly looked at Tenchi, who looked  
as though he had been smacked square in the middle of his forehead with  
a hammer.  
  
"Wha - what's going on here?" Tenchi stammered, his voice having the  
quality of someone who had just seen a universal constant crumbling   
before his eyes. A nervous twitch had started up in his right cheek and  
his arms had fallen limply to his sides.  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka were laughing and talking sweetly together. In fact,  
they seemed downright pleasant to each other. Minagi's eyes narrowed  
when she noticed the strange collars around their necks and Washu's  
insane (it had to be) grin.  
  
"Minagi, how nice of you to stop by and visit your mom! You couldn't   
have timed your visit better, as I have completed my solution to the   
second most destructive force in the Masaki household - Ryoko's and   
Ayeka's fights."   
  
Incredibly, Mihoshi chirped, "But Washu, what is the most destructive  
force in the Masaki household?"  
  
Everyone paused and took a good, long look at her. Even Ryoko and Ayeka  
paused in their newfound best girlfriend chatter. Washu muttered  
something about limits to even her genius. Shrugging helplessly, she  
merely said, "That's not important right now, Mihoshi."  
  
Brightening back up, Washu waved enthusiastically. "I would like to  
proudly introduce my cleverest invention yet, the aggression nullifier!  
With this handy tool I can turn even these two into dearest friends!"  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka paused in their chatter as they both saw Tenchi at the  
same time. Arm in arm they moved slowly towards him, odd smiles on both  
their faces and a gleam in their eyes. "Tenchi," they both crooned, "we  
were wondering if you would like to go out with us today?"  
  
Tenchi's eyes grew even wider. His pupils dilated as if he was  
encountering a kind of sublime terror only a teenaged boy surrounded by  
beautiful alien women could suffer.   
  
Minagi and Sasami exchanged glances and sighed. It was going to be  
another one of those days, apparently. Sasami blushed a bit as Tenchi  
uttered a terrified scream and bolted off towards the woods, Ryoko and  
Ayeka following. Mihoshi shouted after them and took off also.  
  
"Would you like to have some tea, Minagi?"  
  
Minagi was relieved to find that at least some things were still  
normal. "I'd love some tea," she replied. "Oh, Washu?"  
  
"Yes, daughter of mine?"  
  
Minagi still found it difficult to equate this young looking redhead   
with spiky hair as her mother, but then again nobody would have guessed  
her age to be roughly 20,000 years, either. Making matters worse, Washu  
was technically her grandmother and Ryoko her mother. However, Washu  
seemed all too eager to fill the role of a mother in Minagi's life,  
whereas Ryoko had other interests.   
  
Eager to avoid the whole sticky mess, she held up the damaged security  
crystal from the library and started describing her problem. "I've  
stumbled onto something big, but I'm not sure what exactly is going on.  
I've got a security crystal I can't read and was wondering if -"  
  
"A mystery? Gimme that!" Washu snatched the crystal out of Minagi's  
hand and dashed off to her lab. Apparently, mothering instincts took a  
distant second to challenges to her intellect.  
  
Minagi looked blankly after Washu. Was she actually cackling? Shaking  
her head, Minagi smiled and looked down at Sasami. "I guess it'll just  
be the two of us for tea, Sasami."  
  
"That's okay. I want to hear about all the exciting things you've been  
doing!"  
  
Minagi's smile faded as she thought of all the dead and murdered that  
had brought her here. Looking down at Sasami's smiling face and  
innocent eyes, she shuddered as images of eyeless corpses flashed  
across her mind. Patting Sasami's shoulder, she said nothing and merely  
hugged her again. There was some excitement a child didn't need to be  
exposed to.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Later in the evening  
  
Washu's experiment on Ryoko and Ayeka failed when the girls had to  
decide which one of them was going to kiss Tenchi first. Luckily, the  
explosions when the collars burned out weren't enough to hurt anyone,  
but both Ryoko and Ayeka were sitting far apart and were alternating  
their glares between each other and Washu. Tenchi seemed to be the  
worse for wear, and Minagi was wondering if he might be suffering from  
some kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome or something. He kept  
nervously shifting his eyes between Ryoko and Ayeka as if he almost  
expected them both to pounce on him. Minagi giggled at the thought.  
  
She turned her attention to the weird setup Washu had created in the  
Masaki living room. Washu had come out of her lab earlier with a  
pleased expression and an odd device hooked up to the security crystal.  
Oblivious to Ryoko's and Ayeka's glares, she whistled an odd tune as  
she hooked the whole setup to the TV.  
  
Dinner was a chance to catch up on old times. Minagi hadn't seen  
everyone since the battle with the super-genius Yume and the second  
generation Jurai tree Bizen over six months back. As dinner progressed,  
Tenchi slowly warmed back up to his normal skittishness and was soon  
able to talk without flinching whenever he looked at either Ryoko or  
Ayeka.  
  
"So, Minagi, what brings you back here to visit?" Ryoko waggled a  
chopstick in her direction. "Don't tell me you need some tips on how to  
be a proper pirate?"  
  
Minagi smiled sweetly back at Ryoko, leaned back, and casually took a  
sip of sake before replying. "You know, I might need your help. I can't  
figure out how you were ever able to balance plundering freighters,  
drinking tequila, and getting foot massages from oiled hunks. Does it  
take years of practice, or am I missing something?"  
  
Ryoko's face turned a funny shade of red and a nervous bead of sweat  
dropped off her forehead. Glancing over at Tenchi - whose startled  
expression had returned - Ryoko gave a sickly smile. "Er, ha-ha, that's  
funny. Whoever could have made up such a silly story? Really, Minagi,  
you're such a joker, ha-ha."  
  
Minagi grinned, feeling a certain glee for teasing her `big sister/  
mother/whatever'. "Oh, I don't know. I'm impressed that two well built  
young men oiled up and in loincloths are considered an `appetizer' for  
you. I never imagined following in your footsteps would lead to this!"  
  
Ryoko's flush deepened even further. Ayeka was currently choking on  
something and Mihoshi was beating on her back. Washu had cradled her  
head in her hands and mournfully cried, "What is a mother to do?  
Really, Ryoko."  
  
"What? Hey, I was younger and wilder back then. I'm much more  
sophisticated now, right, Tenchi?"  
  
Tenchi had a slightly appalled look on his face. "Ryoko, you plunder  
planets but have a hankering for foot massages?"  
  
Ryoko gave a small whimper and shrank down a bit as she realized that  
her colorful past was something Tenchi didn't really want to find out  
about. Suddenly, a wide grin split Tenchi's face and tears rolled down;  
the image of the dread space pirate Ryoko enjoying a foot massage was  
entirely too much for him. Before long, the entire table was laughing  
and even Ryoko was able to chuckle at her predicament.   
  
Even the glower Ryoko tried to direct towards Minagi faded before her  
sunny smile. Ryoko realized that Minagi had stumbled onto a  
particularly embarrassing bit of her past, and it had proved too juicy  
to pass up.   
  
/You better be careful, missy,/ Ryoko sent to Minagi. /Living up to my  
pirate standards isn't as easy as it looks./  
  
Minagi grinned back. /Sorry about bringing that up, but how could I  
resist?/ She sobered up and spoke out loud. "There were times I wished  
you were with me, Ryoko. There's something going on and I think it's  
trouble, big trouble."   
  
Her admission brought the merriment to an abrupt halt. "I'm sorry,   
everyone, but I came back for an important reason. Someone has been  
killing off dealers in antiquities, and now he's disappeared. My only  
clues are that security crystal and a holographic projector he left  
behind. Washu, were you able to recover the contents of the security  
crystal?"  
  
Washu nodded. "Perhaps you should fill us in on the whole story after  
dinner." She glanced meaningfully towards Sasami. "That way we can go  
over the - grimmer - parts of your story."  
  
Had Washu already watched the events unfold on the library? Minagi  
looked closely at her but could detect nothing in her expression to say  
either way.  
  
Dinner concluded on a quieter note, as if everyone could sense  
something unpleasant about to happen. Minagi berated herself for   
bringing it up right in the middle of dinner, but she hadn't realized   
how much this was starting to worry her. The look in August's eyes when  
he had warned her about the powers she was getting involved with was  
starting to worry her.   
  
Sasami realized she wasn't going to hear what Minagi had to say later  
on and it obviously bothered her. It hurt Minagi to see Sasami feel so  
neglected, but she knew it was for the better. Kneeling down in front  
of her, she took Sasami's hands into hers and looked straight into her  
eyes. "Sasami, you have to believe me when I say this. You do not want  
to hear what we have to discuss, and you definitely don't want to see  
what's on the security crystal. Please, trust me on this."  
  
Sasami bit her lip and tears trembled in her eyes. "It's alright. I've  
learned that it takes courage to wait. I just hate the helpless feeling  
I have when everyone I love keeps getting hurt. I don't want anyone to  
get hurt."  
  
Tenchi came up behind Sasami and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Sasami,  
we're all proud of you. We have to do these things that may get us  
hurt. But it would kill me if that ever happened to you."  
  
Ryoko called from the lounge area, "Tenchi, Minagi - Washu has the   
device almost ready."  
  
"We've got to go, Sasami. Promise me you won't listen in."  
  
"Okay, Tenchi." Sasami collected some plates and headed off to the   
kitchen.  
  
Minagi rose and noticed Tenchi staring at the kitchen door. "Thanks for  
helping out," she said. Tenchi came out of his reverie and gave an  
absentminded smile at Minagi. Together they walked over to the lounge  
area.  
  
Ryoko had kicked her feet up on the table; she wasted no time getting  
to business. "So what's up, Minagi? It had better be good after that  
foot massage stunt you pulled."  
  
"Believe me, Ryoko, it is."  
  
Minagi related the story, beginning with the first ambush. As her story  
continued she was interrupted by sharp questions from everyone. Her  
head hurt as she tried to recollect the tiniest detail of a  
conversation or scene from an attack. Finally, as she reached the   
description of her trek through the library, she noticed everyone's  
faces becoming very serious. Their expressions changed as she detailed  
the various horrors and damage done to ship and crew.   
  
Tenchi seemed sick at the loss of life; there was a burning anger in  
his eyes. Ryoko had the look of a hardened professional, detaching   
herself from the horror. Mihoshi seemed the most upset; tears were  
welling up in her eyes. Ayeka looked upset also, but she sat stiff-  
backed, her fists clenched in anger. Washu seemed as detached as Ryoko,  
but her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she listened to every  
word Minagi said.  
  
Finally, Minagi's story came to an end. "So the only pieces of evidence  
I have that might lead me to Avashar are that crystal and this  
holographic projector."  
  
"Let's see the projection first, Minagi." Tenchi's voice was very   
serious. "I want to see the face of this butcher up close."  
  
Minagi nodded, fired up the projector, and began playing the recording  
again. Ryoko raised an eyebrow at Avashar's mistake, identifying Minagi  
as herself, but said nothing. When the projector reached the part where  
Avashar generated his sword, Washu's hand snapped down and paused the  
projection.  
  
"Hmm, so what do we have here?" She brought up her workstation and  
busily punched calculations in. "Looks like an awfully impressive  
sword."  
  
The blade was pitch black. Lightning coursed along its edge; terrible  
glyphs and blood-red runes were engraved along its length. If one  
looked closely, one could almost make out screaming faces twisting  
within the blade's surface.  
  
Minagi nodded. "I agree, Washu, but for some reason something seems,  
well, wrong with it."  
  
"Well, Tenchi, it certainly looks like a powerful blade. Jealous?"   
Ryoko sat up and leaned across the table to get closer to the   
projection, eyes wide at the blade.  
  
"Ryoko, there's nothing wrong with my blade." Tenchi was also staring   
at the blade with a confused look on his face.   
  
"I'm sure there isn't, Tenchi. Maybe I can help you hone -" Ryoko, not   
missing a beat, had begun to take the conversation somewhere else   
entirely.  
  
Ayeka delivered a sharp smack to Ryoko's posterior. "That's enough,  
Ryoko! What if that sword is as powerful as it looks?"  
  
Ryoko was about to start into Ayeka when something else caught  
everyone's attention: Washu was laughing. Laughing hard. Tears were  
pouring down her face. Minagi wondered if Washu had finally snapped;  
after all, it was really only a matter of time. From the nervous look  
on everyone else's faces, the same thought was running through their  
heads.  
  
"Oh, this is too rich! Bwwhuuahaha!" Washu was actually having   
difficulty breathing; she had fallen off her cushion and was kicking   
her feet in the air. Finally her laughing attack passed and, still   
chucking, she sat up.   
  
"Whew, that was precious. Now watch closely, everyone."  
  
She began punching a key repeatedly on the holographic projector.   
Minagi's eyes widened a bit as with Washu's first keystroke the tiny   
little screaming faces disappeared from within the blade; with the   
second, the glyphs and runes shimmered and faded from view; the third,  
the coursing lightning. The fourth keystroke turned the shimmering  
black blade into a rather ordinary sword, plain steel with a faint blue  
glow about it.  
  
"You were right, Minagi. Avashar simply used digital enhancements   
available on any holographic projector to make his sword," she cleared  
her throat awkwardly, "appear a little more impressive than before."  
  
Minagi was puzzled. "Why would anybody do that?"  
  
Ryoko leaned over and replied in a stage whisper, "It's kind of a male  
thing, Minagi. Guys and their swords and all that."  
  
Minagi felt her cheeks warm as Ayeka and Washu both hung their heads in  
despair. Tenchi and Mihoshi both had blank looks on their faces, but  
Tenchi seemed to have a slowly dawning realization of what Ryoko was  
talking about.  
  
Minagi desperately tried to change the subject. "How about the security  
tape, Washu?"   
  
Ryoko's grin indicated that she knew she had scored one. /And that's  
just the beginning of my payback./  
  
Minagi refused to answer, but her silence only made Ryoko's grin widen.  
  
Washu made a few tiny adjustments to the device hooked up to the   
security crystal and started the recording. Ryoko dropped right back to  
business mode. The room's lights dimmed until the only source of  
illumination was the TV screen.  
  
Washu talked idly as she made one final adjustment. "I've started it   
just before the entire event occurred. That was about one hour before  
you arrived, Minagi."  
  
The screen jumped and then refocused. Minagi recognized the main  
corridor leading to the vault. A robed figure, its features hidden from  
the camera, walked amidst a group of expensively dressed traders,  
modest librarians, and several guards. An animated conversation was  
going on around the robed figure.  
  
"Is there any sound?"  
  
"Not yet, there are sections where damage to the crystal prevents any  
sound playback." Washu kept fiddling with dials and punching codes into  
her keyboard. "Expect some skipping from time to time."  
  
Finally the group reached the main vault. More guards were evident  
here, and they carefully scanned all the members of the group before  
opening the vault door. Minagi's heart began to race as her instincts  
cried that the moment of the library's disaster was drawing near.  
  
As the group filed in through the vault door, the robed figure moved to  
stand confidently in the center of the chamber. They were still  
entering the chamber when total chaos exploded.  
  
Screams tore through the Masaki living room, startling everyone.  
Mihoshi screamed and jumped behind the couch. Ayeka and Ryoko grabbed  
hold of Tenchi. Even Washu looked surprised. Minagi realized that her  
heart was pounding in her chest; she had half-risen out of the couch.  
  
It was the screams that did it. These were screams of absolute terror  
and pain, horrible, soul-wrenching pain as a terrible wave of energy  
streaked forth from the robed figure, lashing out at books, librarians,  
guards, everything. Even as they watched, the books shimmered and  
vanished from sight. Everything else in the chamber disappeared,  
obliterated by the power emanating from the entity.  
  
The screams died off, but a terrible keening noise was building up as  
the aura around the robed figure continued to build. Everyone gasped as  
the robes split apart and something - else - was left standing there.  
Minagi's breath caught. It wasn't Avashar, but it was humanlike. He  
floated in midair, arms outstretched and face tilted upwards, his body  
glowing with a pure white light. His clothing was of the purest white  
and his face was perfection itself.  
  
Except for his eyes. Minagi couldn't explain it, but there was a  
hardness there, an indifference to life. It was like looking into the   
eyes of a dead thing. The entity relaxed for a second, and then a  
terrible burst of energy exploded from him, tearing outwards. The  
entire screen jiggled and faded out for a moment.  
  
Washu rapidly typed some additional commands into her workstation and  
the image came back. She rapidly scrolled to an external view. Everyone  
gasped; the shockwave had traveled outwards into space, shattering the  
ships orbiting the library. Only one ship remained untouched, a ship  
that hadn't been there when Minagi arrived. It was a small ship, about  
the size of Avashar's, but its hull was sleeker and of the purest  
white, marred by only a few smooth nodules.  
  
Washu turned back to the vault cameras but the entity had already gone.  
Skipping through different camera views, it was apparent that the   
library power systems were failing and the artificial gravity was   
already knocked out. Not every chamber was exposed to the vacuum, as  
blast doors automatically shut after the explosion, but every camera  
she turned to displayed the same grim result: everyone on board had  
been killed by the shockwave.   
  
She refocused on the vault, sighed, and then turned to Minagi. "I think  
you were very lucky to be late to this particular meeting."  
  
"Do you know who or what that was?" Minagi was surprised at how calm  
she sounded.   
  
"No, but I can tell you that he is very powerful. Worse yet, he took  
those books for some unknown reason. Given what that August character   
told you, I shudder to think what purpose they will serve."  
  
Tenchi nudged Ryoko and Ayeka off him. "Washu, where is that power  
coming from?"  
  
"Judging from what August told Minagi, that entity may very well have  
tapped into higher dimensions for his power."  
  
Ayeka straightened up and asked worriedly, "But Washu, what would a  
creature do with power like that?"  
  
"I don't know, Miss Ayeka. I don't know, and that is what has me  
worried." Her frown was replaced by a bright smile. "But on the bright  
side, a dimensional power like that should be sooo easy for someone  
like me to find!" Without any further ado, she jumped up and scampered  
to her laboratory.   
  
Ryoko leaned back and kicked her feet up again. She turned to gaze at  
Tenchi for a moment, then back to the empty chamber. She seemed  
worried.   
  
Mihoshi had her GP cube out and had already changed into her uniform.  
"Uh, guys? I'm going to get Yukinojo ready for flight. I'm going to  
have to warn the Galaxy Police about this." Twisting the cube a few  
more times, she disappeared in a flash of light. Minagi thought she  
heard a distant splash a second later.  
  
Ayeka lightly touched Tenchi's hand. "Tenchi, I'm going to check on   
Sasami. I have a sinking sensation we're going to be leaving all too   
soon."   
  
"That's a good idea, Ayeka. I should see her also." Tenchi got up and  
followed after her. He glanced worriedly at Ryoko for a second, but   
seeing no impending eruption, sighed in relief and left the room.  
  
Ryoko didn't even bat an eyelash, just sat and stared at the recording.  
Without looking at Minagi she started talking. "We're going to have to  
be careful, Minagi. Anyone who can obliterate ships like that is no  
pushover. When we fight this creature, we will have to hit him at the  
same time, hard and fast, nothing fancy. I don't know if anyone can go  
toe to toe with this bastard."  
  
Minagi nodded. "You're worried about Tenchi trying something heroic?"  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "I'm worried about everyone. Just don't tell anyone  
else that." She shot a sharp glance at Minagi.  
  
Minagi smiled. "I'm worried about them, too. Shall we talk to Sasami?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd - hey, what's that?"  
  
Minagi turned back to the screen. A lone figure had drifted into the   
vault and was looking around. Minagi recognized him instantly. "It's   
Avashar, but what is he doing?"  
  
He floated into the center of the chamber, right where the entity had   
been. Seconds later he began to float upwards. Extending his arms   
outward and tilting his head backwards, he exactly mimicked the  
entity's pose. He floated like that for a few more seconds before   
settling back down.  
  
"What's he doing?" Ryoko whispered.  
  
"I don't know. Wait, the sound's working again."  
  
Avashar had brought out the holographic projector, and after mounting  
it to the floor, began recording his message.  
  
"Space pirate Ryoko, I don't know why a cutie like you is chasing after  
me like this."  
  
Minagi frowned; that wasn't the way she remembered it. The recording  
continued.  
  
"I'm flattered, but I'm busy right now. No, no, this won't work." He  
stopped the recording and started pacing back and forth in the chamber.  
  
Minagi and Ryoko looked at each other. "Cutie, huh?" Ryoko said,  
arching an eyebrow and making Minagi's cheeks flush.  
  
They both flinched when they heard a throat clear behind them. Ayeka   
stood there with Tenchi, both of them smiling at Minagi's discomfort.  
  
Avashar was now trying another recording, which failed as miserably as  
the first. Between corny poses, bad grammar, and retakes, it took five  
more tries before he got it right. By that time Tenchi, Ayeka, Ryoko  
and Minagi were staring in amazement at the screen.  
  
"Is this guy for real?" Ryoko asked, scratching her head.  
  
"You've got me, Ryoko." Ayeka seemed just as puzzled, and for a time  
they dropped their usual routine of sniping at each other.  
  
Avashar had finished the recording and was making the enhancements to  
his sword in the projection. While he worked, he continued to talk to  
himself. "Now that's a kick-ass sword. One look at this baby and  
Ryoko's going to choose a career path in basket weaving. Damn, I'm  
clever." With that said, Avashar gestured briefly and a portal opened  
up before him. Whistling an off-key tune, he strolled through. It  
closed behind him.  
  
Ryoko looked at Minagi. "Basket weaving? If you don't get to him first,  
I'm going to kick his ass all the way to the edge of the Galaxy."  
  
"You know, Ryoko, that fellow might have a better understanding of your  
skills than you realize." Ayeka giggled at Ryoko's expression,  
apparently unable to resist such an opening.  
  
"Listen princess, I'll be more than happy -"  
  
"That's enough, both of you." Tenchi rolled his eyes and pulled himself  
up. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. Who knows how soon we're  
going to be needed."  
  
"Good idea Tenchi, I've got the perfect thing to help make you sleepy."  
  
Minagi groaned as Ayeka tackled Ryoko and the two of them went crashing  
to the floor. Tenchi didn't even look back at them; he merely sighed  
and started up the steps to his room.  
  
Minagi turned back to the screen and scratched her head. "I'm a cutie,  
huh?" she thought. This was getting weirder by the minute.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Breakfast was a restrained affair. Tenchi's grandfather had returned  
from visiting family and Tenchi was filling him in on what was going  
on. Neither Washu nor Mihoshi were present, and Tenchi shuddered to  
think what mischief Mihoshi was getting herself into. It didn't matter  
as long as she didn't try landing on the house again.  
  
Minagi groaned with pleasure; Sasami's breakfasts were astounding.  
Sasami didn't seem to be her usual cheerful self, but worrying that  
everyone might be facing a powerful entity would do that. Minagi leaned  
over and patted Sasami's hand gently.  
  
"Sasami, I keep thinking I should take you along with me when I'm out  
pirating. Your cooking is simply incredible and I could use a good  
cook."  
  
"Do you really think I could come along?" Sasami's face lit up at the   
thought of adventure and excitement in deep space - and cooking.  
  
Minagi groaned silently to herself. She could see Ayeka and Tenchi both  
looking at her as if she had grown horns on her head. This wasn't the  
reaction she was hoping for. "What I meant is, well, um, you see..."  
  
Ayeka stopped frowning and smiled at Sasami. "What Minagi meant was  
that she misses your company, Sasami, not that she wants to drag you  
halfway across the galaxy on a cooking tour. What would Ryo-Ohki do  
without you?"  
  
Sasami thought about that, then turned back towards Minagi and said  
very seriously, "I wish I could go with you, Minagi, but I have to take  
care of everyone here. And how can I leave Ryo-Ohki alone?"  
  
Minagi sighed with relief and shot a grateful glance at Ayeka. Ayeka   
giggled and dove back into her breakfast. Ryoko had hardly even  
registered the little crisis, so deeply enamoured was she with her  
breakfast. She had just wolfed down a large mouthful when Washu burst  
in with a triumphant cry.  
  
"I've found it!"  
  
Ryoko immediately started gagging on her food. Tenchi's grandfather  
glanced sideways at Ryoko, sighed, and gave her a hearty slap on the  
back. Ryoko hacked, coughed and finally swallowed. Her face turned beet  
red when she realized that everyone was staring at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't worry about Miss Piggy over there," Washu said, ignoring Ryoko's  
strangled cry. "I've located the position and heading of that entity.  
It took me most of the night before I realized that he was much weaker  
than when we first saw him on the library. While it's dangerous to make  
an assumption on so little hard data, my research on dimensional energy  
has indicated that a higher dimensional being cannot employ its full  
strength in lower dimensions. To impose a physical body in this  
dimension requires a tremendous loss of raw power.  
  
"Instead, I believe the entity is using the lore of higher dimensions   
from our dimension so it can better access the raw energies from its   
own dimension. When it doesn't need to access those energies, it limits  
its usage to the lowest possible levels."  
  
Minagi's head wobbled. Pressing one hand to her head, she raised the  
other to get Washu's attention. "Washu, could you perhaps paraphrase  
that for us?" She noticed nods from around the table.  
  
Washu gritted her teeth and organized her thoughts. "It's simple.  
Usually a higher dimensional being can only enter this dimension by  
shedding a tremendous amount of its power. This entity no longer faces  
those restrictions, but can only maintain those higher levels of power  
for a limited period of time before it loses control of all the energy  
it is channeling."  
  
Tenchi nodded, grasping the concept. "Washu, how powerful can that  
creature be when it's accessing all its power?"  
  
"If it had enough time to fully power up, godlike. The end result for   
our galaxy could be very bad, very bad indeed. But it may be hesitant  
to do so until it's ready to complete whatever task it has set out to  
accomplish."  
  
"What goal is that?" Ayeka was already seeing the possible impact such  
an entity could have on the entire galaxy's balance of power.  
  
"I don't know, Ayeka. But I do know it hasn't accomplished its goals   
yet."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Ayeka's food sat forgotten, and she kept  
absently tapping her finger against her juice glass.  
  
"Simple, really; I haven't registered any other bursts of powerful   
dimensional energy. And the Galaxy still exists. Also, that ship is   
moving directly towards the Solar System and, I would guess, the  
Earth."  
  
"What!" Tenchi stood bolt upright. "Washu, why didn't you tell us   
earlier?"  
  
Washu smiled sweetly at Tenchi. "Ryoko interrupted me with all her   
choking."  
  
"Hey, why are you putting the blame on me?" Ryoko's expression was one  
of hurt innocence.  
  
Tenchi closed his eyes and mentally started counting to ten. Sometimes  
Washu's take on the universe was a little too casual for his liking.  
This was one of those times. "Little Washu, could you tell us how long  
we have before that entity reaches the Earth?" He was amazed at how  
calm he sounded.  
  
"Enough time, but we'll have to hurry." Around the table, everyone   
nodded in quick agreement, their faces serious.  
  
Minagi blinked in surprise. It amazed her how quickly everyone could  
change gears. "Washu, do you have an idea for stopping this entity?"  
  
"Since it's not ravaging across the Galaxy, my guess is that it's loath  
to use its power needlessly. If we hit it hard and fast it may not have  
the time to access all its power before it's too late."  
  
"Are you saying we have to kill it, Washu?" Tenchi's voice was very   
quiet.  
  
Minagi blinked in surprise when Tenchi's innocent question brought  
tears to her eyes. Here was a boy, no, a young man, who could probably  
vanquish any foe he faced and yet he didn't want to kill. She glanced  
at Ryoko and then Ayeka, and she saw the pride in both their faces for  
him. He would do what had to be done but would never take joy in the  
loss of life.  
  
Washu smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Tenchi, but to have an unchecked power  
like this in the galaxy scares me like nothing ever has before. Very  
few higher dimensional beings care about life in this dimension, and  
worse yet, probably don't even recognize anything here as `life'." Her  
eyes hardened as if she was rehashing an old argument that still hadn't  
ended.  
  
Katsuhito rose and gestured for Tenchi to follow him. Together they  
walked to the end of the pier to talk, leaving everyone else to confer  
amongst themselves.   
  
Ryoko teleported over by the window and looked after Tenchi worriedly.  
Ayeka got up and moved next to Ryoko. Her cultured voice was soft. "I  
hate seeing what this does to Tenchi."  
  
Ryoko didn't even twitch. "Me too, princess. Me too."  
  
Together they stood for a moment, watching Tenchi and his grandfather,  
before splitting up and going their separate ways.   
  
Minagi looked up from helping Sasami clear the table and saw the  
glitter of tears on both their cheeks before they passed from view. She  
heard a snuffle next to her and saw Sasami rubbing her eyes hurriedly.  
  
Sasami looked up at Minagi and asked in a small voice, "Why does Tenchi  
have to do such terrible things? He's so nice and kind, it's not fair."  
  
Minagi wiped a tear from Sasami's cheek. "I think it's because  
sometimes good people have to do bad things, Sasami. It doesn't make it  
any easier on them, and it's hardly ever fair."  
  
Sasami buried her head in Minagi's side, sobbed a terrible hurt cry,  
and hugged her tightly. Minagi tensed awkwardly, stacked plates in each  
of her hands. Washu quietly took the plates from her hands and took  
them to the kitchen with nary a word. Breathing quiet thanks to Washu,  
Minagi reached down and hugged Sasami tightly. Sometimes the world made  
children grow up faster than they should, but she didn't want to see  
that happen to Sasami.  
  
Finally the time came for everyone to depart. They gathered on the  
beach by the lake, Ryo-Ohki and Hinase already floating above. Ryoko,  
Ayeka, and Tenchi would go on Ryo-Ohki while Minagi and Washu would  
take the Hinase, Washu having explained that she wanted to see how her  
other daughter was doing. Mihoshi was nowhere to be seen, but the  
common consensus was that she had probably already boarded the enemy  
ship and blasted half of it to pieces - by accident, of course.   
  
Sasami and Katsuhito stood nearby. Sasami seemed better now, and she  
hugged everyone fiercely before they left, eliciting promises to come  
back safe and sound.   
  
Seconds later, Ryo-Ohki and Hinase were carving incandescent arcs  
through the late morning sky. Sasami and Katsuhito watched until the  
faintest twinkle of the ships had disappeared before walking back to  
the house.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Aboard the Hinase, Minagi looked over at Washu, who was sitting on her  
cushion and typing away on her workstation. Intensely focused on  
whatever she was doing, her hands flashed over the keyboard at lighting  
speed.  
  
Minagi shrugged and turned toward the main screen. "Hinase?"  
  
[Yes, Minagi?]  
  
"How long before we reach our target?"  
  
[We will intercept the ship on the far side of Jupiter in the next ten   
minutes.]  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Hinase's small globe and main unit crystals hovered by her. [Uh,   
Minagi?]  
  
Minagi smiled at them. They worried so much sometimes. "Don't worry,  
I've got all my friends - and family - here with me. We'll be fine."   
  
"Family," she thought. "I have family." Thinking about Ryoko and Washu,  
she silently amended that to `dysfunctional' family, but family  
nevertheless.  
  
Washu glanced up and smiled at Minagi's admission. It was nice to have  
the feeling of family again. Turning back to her work, she frowned; for  
some reason, she couldn't pinpoint Mihoshi's location. Where had that  
girl gotten herself to this time?  
  
Minutes later, Ryo-Ohki and Hinase were pacing the entity's ship. No  
fire greeted their approach as the ship slowed to a crawl around  
Jupiter. High above the swirling gases, the ship's white surface  
shimmered from the reflected light of the gas giant. Its size was about  
a third of the Hinase and its shape was like that of an elongated  
teardrop. Several smooth nodules raised up from the hull but did not  
detract from its liquid sleekness.  
  
Washu stared silently in dismay. "Everyone, listen carefully." Her  
voice was level and her tone deadly serious. "I'm getting readings of  
an obscenely massive power within that ship. It hasn't been activated  
yet, but I fear for all our safety if it fully activates."  
  
Ryoko's face appeared on the communications screen. "Hey, Minagi, you  
ready?"  
  
"That's right, Ryoko. I'll teleport over with Washu."  
  
"I'll grab Tenchi and the princess. Remember what we talked about   
earlier."  
  
Minagi nodded and cut the transmission. She smiled at Washu and held  
out her hand. "Shall we?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Alright everyone, lets go!" Grabbing a hold of Tenchi and Ayeka, Ryoko  
prepared herself for the teleport. Then nothing happened.  
  
Ayeka looked at her. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"Hang on, let me try again." There was a momentary pause, then nothing.  
Ryoko snarled in frustration. "Damn, I can't teleport into that ship!"  
Turning, she brought up communications with the Hinase. "Minagi, Washu,  
are you there?" She radiated hard professionalism, but a hint of  
concern laced her voice.  
  
Hinase's crystal appeared onscreen. "No, Lady Ryoko, they teleported  
out." It began to blink in worry. "May I ask why you're not there with  
them?"  
  
"How should I know? I'm not the genius around here." Ryoko's eyes were  
troubled. "I do know that if we don't get inside that ship soon, Washu  
and Minagi may be in real trouble."  
  



	3. "Victory's price"

[Author's Note: This story is placed in the "No Need for Tenchi"   
manga universe, an extension of the OAV series. It includes   
individuals and references events from the first eight mangas.]  
  
No Need for Tenchi - Minagi's Adventure  
Chapter 3: Victory's Price  
  
Minagi and Washu appeared in a rush of air to find themselves on a   
large white platform floating in space. No sign of the ship's hull   
could be seen. The platform was circular, hundreds of feet across,   
and gleamed like polished stone. In the distance, the galaxy spread   
out before them in all its glory.  
  
However amazing these sights, their attention was drawn to the   
center of the platform. A pale blue crystal was embedded in it, rising   
at least thirty feet above the surface.  
  
Washu whistled in appreciation. "Roomier in here than I expected."   
Her eyes narrowed as she took a closer look at the crystal. "Minagi,   
can you feel the incredible power emanating from that thing?"  
  
Minagi wasn't interested in the crystal; she was wondering about   
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka. "Washu, where's everybody else?"  
  
"THEY HAVE BEEN DELAYED," a voice boomed, making Minagi   
flinch. "I AM UNINTERESTED IN THEM. THE ONE WITH YOU   
DOES INTEREST ME."  
  
The voice came from a lone figure standing before the crystal, arms   
crossed, his gaze lost in the crystal's depths. His body shone with   
an inner light that gave his skin the appearance of being carved   
from marble. Pale hair cascaded down the back of his outfit, also of   
the purest white and trimmed with silver borders. His face was   
perfection itself.  
  
"Could you turn your volume down a bit?" Washu folded her arms   
across her chest, a slightly irritated look crossing her face. "I hate   
the giant booming voice of God bit. Really."  
  
The figure turned and gave a shallow bow. "My apologies, Lady   
Washu. I am Rashava, the opener of ways." A faint smile played   
across his face, but his eyes were cold, flat, and lifeless.  
  
"Why are you here, Rashava? And what are you trying to do in this   
dimension?" Washu's voice snapped with authority and her eyes   
flashed dangerously.  
  
"Our universe has been collapsing for the past 40,000 years, Lady   
Washu. I am the last champion of an entire race and I am tasked   
with opening the way for our realm to enter this universe."  
  
Washu gave a sharp intake of breath. "Rashava, you cannot do   
that! It would mean the end of all life in this realm. You will undo all   
of creation!"  
  
He shook his head. "No, I will merely be providing the spark for a   
new creation."  
  
"There are wards and barriers to such an act. There are other   
powers who will resist such -"  
  
"The wards and barriers of long gone Gods have been swept aside.   
You and yours neglected your duties and so provided my realm with   
the opening we needed. I will not let my race perish. The end of this   
realm is a small price to pay for it."  
  
"No! I forbid it!" Washu clenched her fists tightly together, her heart   
pounding in her chest. Yet part of her shook at what Rashava was   
implying about her. The power swirling around her and Rashava's   
words were bringing back memories, memories she had never even   
known existed, and even those brief flashes of glory made her   
tremble.  
  
Minagi looked back and forth between Rashava and Washu,   
desperately trying to understand what was going on.  
  
Rashava ignored Washu's outburst and continued in a   
conversational tone. "Really, Lady Washu. You long ago abdicated   
your position to dictate such things. Now you cannot prevent my   
race's salvation, but you can at least assist in our ascension.  
  
"The information I gained from the library will still prove useful, but   
processing the information is taking longer than I expected. Time is   
running out for my race, and I need a source of power and   
knowledge from which I can quickly tear what I need.  
  
"Lady Washu, you are the last source of dimensional information   
and power I require to remake creation." His cultured voice turned   
grim. "Unfortunately, you won't survive the extraction process." His   
demeanor rapidly shifted from polite to menacing as he began to   
stride towards her.  
  
Minagi didn't understand what was going on. A gibbering part of her   
refused to think about the implications of what Washu and Rashava   
were talking about. She did know she had to stop him from getting   
to Washu. Ryoko's warning back at the Masaki household echoed   
through her mind: facing Rashava alone and unaided would be too   
dangerous. Her mind made up, she glided over, grabbed Washu,   
and teleported back to the Hinase.  
  
At least, that was what she tried to do, but she and Washu simply   
remained on the platform, Rashava still striding towards them. In   
her mind, an invisible barrier was keeping the Hinase just out of   
reach. Her will scrabbled helplessly against its smooth, unyielding   
surface. "Washu, I can't teleport us back to the ship!"  
  
"I know, honey. He's preventing any entrance or exit." Washu   
looked worried.  
  
Minagi bit the inside of her lip. Rashava was closing quickly, his   
movements speaking of confidence bordering on arrogance. She lit   
her sword and with a pounding heart moved to meet him.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you have Washu. She's family, you know."   
Despite her forced attempt to sound casual, she could feel her   
cheeks flush slightly at the admission.  
  
Rashava's voice dripped with scorn. "Child, I'm not interested in   
your lineage." Not breaking his stride, he made a curt gesture with   
his right hand, sending a powerful blast of energy roaring towards   
Minagi.  
  
"What the -"  
  
Caught off-guard, Minagi was sent cartwheeling through the air   
before slamming back down onto the platform twenty feet back. She   
groaned and shook her head; it felt like she had been swatted with   
a space shuttle. Worse, she could almost see Master Yakage   
shaking his head in disappointment at the ease with which she'd   
been hit.  
  
Rashava gestured again and a cold green beam lashed out and   
wrapped itself around Washu, lifting her off the ground. Struggling   
and twisting futilely, Washu quirked an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Bondage? How... kinky."  
  
Reaching Washu, he tilted his head quizzically. His confident   
expression shifted through a series of rapid changes: first surprise,   
then recognition, and finally rage. "Don't play games with me, bitch!"   
Furious, he raised his hand and sliced a powerful beam across   
Washu's chest.  
  
"No!" Minagi screamed. The intensity of the beam burned a black   
afterimage across her retina, but it wasn't quite enough to hide the   
sight of Washu tumbling to the platform in two halves. Her vision   
blurred as a tear rolled down her cheek; her legs buckled beneath   
her, sending her to her knees. A small sob of anguish escaped her   
lips.  
  
"Humph, he didn't take that well at all," murmured a voice from   
behind.  
  
Minagi looked back, her eyes widening in surprise. "W-Washu?"   
She rubbed her eyes and shook her head to try to clear her vision,   
then looked again at the place where Washu had fallen to see... two   
halves of a doll. "Washu, you're okay!" A flood of relief washed   
through her. "I don't know how you got over here, but I'm sure glad   
that's not you over there."  
  
Helping Minagi up, Washu answered in a low voice, "Me too." She   
turned back to Rashava. "You know, that's no way to treat a dolly,"   
she called out. "I'm not going to get you another one unless you   
promise me you'll play nice."  
  
Rashava turned to face them, quivering with rage at Washu's   
mockery. Slowly his expression smoothed back into calm   
arrogance. "Very clever, Lady Washu. Unfortunately, I'll have to   
decline your kind offer for another... dolly." His voice became   
menacing. "I only need to tear your powers and knowledge away   
from you."  
  
"Is that all?" Washu replied. She casually adjusted her clothes,   
radiating a total lack of concern.  
  
Rashava gritted his teeth and started towards them again. "Let us   
try once more, shall we?" His eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
Minagi stepped forward, her blade again at the ready. Though she   
still felt sore from his last attack, she wasn't going to give him   
another chance. "Stay back, Washu."  
  
"Be careful!"  
  
Minagi flew towards Rashava, her blade poised for a strike.   
Rashava casually flipped his hand at her. A shimmering net of   
energy burst into existence, her momentum carrying her deep into   
it.  
  
Rashava clenched his fist, causing a powerful surge of energy to   
tear through the net. Minagi writhed in agony before falling to the   
platform.  
  
Rashava smoothly dodged in and grabbed the stunned Minagi by   
the neck. Lifting her into the air, he cocked his head again and   
regarded her with a grim smile. "You're fast, child, but you need   
more than that to win against me." A powerful bolt of energy began   
forming within his other hand.  
  
Minagi stuck her tongue out at him and vanished.  
  
A flash of irritation crossed Rashava's face as he regarded his now   
empty hand. He sighed. Pointing his arm seemingly at nothing, he   
launched the massive bolt of energy into thin air.  
  
Minagi reappeared twenty feet up to find Rashava's bolt rocketing   
straight towards her. Without time to wonder how he had located   
her, she flinched back and dodged the worst of the attack. Even so,   
enough hit her to send her tumbling downwards. She slammed into   
the platform, bounced, then lay still and silent. Wisps of smoke   
trailed up from her body.  
  
"Minagi!" Washu turned and snarled at Rashava. "You bastard.   
Nobody hurts one of my girls!"  
  
Rashava ignored her rage. "Now, where were we?" He paused   
dramatically, relishing the chance to get a rise out of her. "Oh, yes,   
you're supposed to be my captive by now." He gestured and   
another pale green beam lashed out.  
  
Washu nimbly flipped over the beam and charged towards   
Rashava, a blade like Ryoko's snapping to life in her hand. She   
slashed and stabbed at him, yet he dodged all her attacks with   
amazing speed. When yet another cut missed its mark she could   
only grit her teeth and yell, "Hold still, damn it!"  
  
Rashava smirked and made another quick hand gesture. The   
binding beam exploded into being in front of Washu. This time she   
didn't have time to react and in moments she was completely   
immobilized, her blade quivering impotently mere inches from   
Rashava's head. She swore silently in frustration.  
  
Avoiding the blade, Rashava leaned in closer. A shiver ran up her   
back as he placed the palms of his hands upon her cheeks.  
  
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Washu snarled.  
  
"I'm simply going to tear your knowledge and powers away." The   
cold indifference in Rashava's eyes made her mouth go dry. He   
shifted his hands slightly so his thumbs were over her eyes.  
  
Washu tried in vain to pull her head back. "Please, don't do this."  
  
"I'm sorry, Lady Washu, but I do this for my people. I hope you'll   
understand."  
  
Washu tensed. A dark aura emanated from Rashava's hands as he   
began to dig his thumbs into her eyes. Shudders of revulsion rippled   
through her as the first icy touch of his mind slithered into her own -   
and the worst thing was that he had only barely begun.  
  
Minagi struggled back to consciousness. Rising groggily from the   
cool surface of the platform, a burst of rage flooded her as she saw   
Washu's predicament. A low growl escaped her bared teeth.  
  
Nobody hurt someone she cared for.  
  
"Leave her alone!" she screamed as, injuries forgotten, she flew   
towards Rashava. Energy exploded from her as she slammed into   
him, sending him tumbling across the platform. As the binding beam   
disintegrated, Minagi spun around and grabbed Washu before she   
could fall to the platform. She teleported them both as far away from   
Rashava as possible before setting her down.  
  
"Thanks, Minagi." Washu's hands trembled as she rubbed her   
aching eyes. "That bastard isn't messing around."  
  
Rising back up, Rashava shook his head and dusted himself off. He   
rubbed his side as he glared malevolently at her. "You're much   
stronger than I expected," he called out, giving her a mocking bow.   
"You won't have the chance to repeat such a futile attack." He   
strode to the crystal and placed both hands on its smooth surface. A   
faint hum began building; his silvery hair floated up around his head   
while arcs of energy spat and coursed along his body. His aura   
grew steadily as the energy built up within him.  
  
Minagi watched in awe. She whispered urgently to Washu, "Can   
you get everyone here?"  
  
Washu brought up her workstation. "I'm sure I can get Tenchi and   
the others here, but I need some time." She was already rapidly   
entering commands. Never looking up from the screen, her voice   
was deadly serious. "Minagi, please be careful. I don't want to lose   
a daughter."  
  
Minagi blinked at Washu's admission. A small smile lit her face. "I'll   
be fine; just get everyone else here."  
  
There was no reason to let Rashava draw any more power. Minagi   
rose and flew towards him, gathering a blast of energy in her hands.   
As she drew closer, her face began to tingle as if she was getting   
too close to a fire.  
  
Rashava seemed lost in the power he was drawing from the crystal.   
"Now's my chance," Minagi thought. Again, she slammed full force   
into him. This time the explosion rocked the entire platform.  
  
Lightning lashed out in all directions. Minagi found herself sailing   
backwards through the air, her hands numb and her arms tingling   
painfully. As she hit the platform, she tucked into a roll, turning her   
crash-landing into a tumble before springing back to her feet. She   
shook her head to clear the effects of the blast, then flexed her   
hands and wiggled her toes to make sure everything was still   
attached.  
  
Rashava stepped away from the crystal, power surging around him.   
He strode purposefully towards Minagi, his face hard.  
  
"Not good," Minagi muttered, massaging feeling back into her   
hands. "Not good at all."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ryoko gritted her teeth. "Alright, if he won't let us teleport onto that   
ship, we'll just have to ram it!" Her eyes glittered.  
  
Tenchi flinched, then considered the idea. "Er, whatever you say,   
Ryoko." He tried to keep his eye from twitching.  
  
Ayeka sighed. "Lord Tenchi, you shouldn't encourage her like that."  
  
Tenchi gestured towards the sleek ship that had swallowed up   
Washu and Minagi. "I'm sorry, Ayeka. I don't like us split up like   
this."  
  
"I know, I know. It's just that you've made this unmitigated savage   
so very happy." She shot a sideways glance at Ryoko and grinned   
at her furious expression.  
  
"What are you calling me?" Ryoko snapped back. Then her anger   
turned to a grin as she felt Ryo-Ohki's eagerness resonating with   
her own. "You just hold on tight, little princess. Let's go, Ryo-Ohki!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu slammed her fists into the workstation. Penetrating   
Rashava's shield was proving to be more difficult than she had   
expected, and time was running out.  
  
Minagi thought rapidly as she brought her sword to life. She had to   
distract Rashava and get into a position to attack him. The direct   
approach wasn't working, but maybe... With a flash, she teleported   
behind him and slashed powerfully across his back. Her blade tore   
through clothing and armor like tissue, lancing into the soft flesh   
underneath.  
  
Even Rashava could not resist such a blow unprepared. He   
stumbled to his knees, but Minagi's follow-through missed as he   
quickly tucked into a roll. Raising his hand, another binding beam   
lashed out, immobilizing her. Minagi strained but couldn't break   
free.  
  
Rashava rose with a wince and bowed slightly towards her. "Well   
played, child. But I have no interest in continuing this game." An   
energy sword crackled to life in his hand, then warbled and   
solidified into a silvery blade. In a cold voice, he said, "I am ending   
this now."  
  
Before he could even raise the blade, the platform rocked as though   
it had been struck a tremendous blow. A crackling roar filled the air   
while the empty void above blazed with raging energy. Then one of   
Ryo-Ohki's spikes erupted into view above them. Ryo-Ohki   
straddled the two   
spaces, part of her hull dangling in the pocket dimension, the rest   
still orbiting Jupiter. Shattered pieces of Rashava's ship flew across   
the platform, other pieces spinning off into the void. Then Ryoko,   
Ayeka, and Tenchi materialized on the platform.  
  
Washu closed her eyes and shook her head ruefully; only Ryoko   
would have picked such a direct way of getting aboard. Even so,   
she couldn't help a small grin at the effectiveness of her daughter's   
approach.  
  
Rashava glanced quickly at the three newcomers and evaluated the   
situation. Without a word, he raised his blade and charged towards   
the defenseless Minagi.  
  
The blow didn't land. Ryoko appeared before the onrushing   
Rashava and cast a massive bolt of energy directly into him. Arcs of   
excess energy sprayed out, carving deep gashes into the platform   
as he was forced backwards. Ryoko's eyes narrowed as he   
staggered to a halt and shook off the effects of her blast.  
  
/Ryoko, be careful. Rashava just powered up from that crystal./   
Minagi shuddered to think how much more powerful he was now.  
  
/Gotcha. Hang tight, we'll get you out of here./  
  
Ryoko stayed between the immobile Minagi and Rashava. "So   
you're Rashava, huh?" Lighting her blade, Ryoko gave him a   
hungry smile. "Don't think you're going to be getting past me   
anytime soon."  
  
Rashava snorted in scorn and charged, blade shrieking down   
towards hers. Ryoko brought her blade up to parry, but his blade   
tore straight through hers. She barely had time to jerk back, the   
silvery blade hissing past her face. Backpedaling quickly, Ryoko re-  
ignited her sword and slashed out at Rashava. Again his blade tore   
through hers, forcing her further back towards Minagi.  
  
Minagi could see that Ryoko was running out of room. /Get out of   
here, Ryoko! Don't worry about me!/  
  
/Shut up, Minagi. I'm not leaving you trapped here./  
  
Tenchi charged across the platform, Ayeka right next to him. A cold   
fist clenched his heart; he wasn't going to get there in time.  
  
Ryoko leaped backwards and came to a stop, fuming, in front of   
Minagi.   
She wanted to fly around to attack Rashava, but if she did, Minagi   
would die. She had to buy time until Ayeka and Tenchi arrived, but   
time had run out. Igniting her blade again, she set herself and   
waited for Rashava's attack. Her mind ticked like a clock: he's   
stronger, his sword is more powerful, but he uses big slashing   
attacks - he's not taking me seriously.  
  
A tight scowl crossed her face. As Rashava slashed, Ryoko lunged   
forward, driving her own blade straight towards his chest. A look of   
surprise crossed Rashava's face. Their blades screamed and   
flashed; blood sprayed.  
  
Minagi fell to the ground, suddenly able to move. "It all happened so   
fast," she thought. "What hap - oh, no..."  
  
Ryoko and Rashava half-knelt on the floor, half-leaned into each   
other. Ryoko's blade had torn right through Rashava's heart, but   
she was only able to block the blow against Minagi with her body.   
Rashava's sword gleamed silvery red as it jutted from Ryoko's back.  
  
Ryoko raised her head and grinned at Rashava. With a strangled   
cry she simultaneously head-butted and punched a powerful blast   
into him. Rashava's sword disappeared as he went flying across the   
platform, screaming and writhing in pain, but the massive wound in   
his chest was already healing.  
  
The mad violence shocked everyone. Tenchi and Ayeka stood   
frozen with dismay; even Washu was stunned. Ryoko's sword   
disappeared and she began to slump to the ground. Minagi grabbed   
her and applied pressure to her terrible wound, tears pouring down   
her face as she saw how very pale Ryoko looked. Tenchi and   
Ayeka ran towards them, horrified expressions on their faces.  
  
"Ryoko? Ryoko!" Minagi shouted at Ryoko's still face. "Please be   
alive, Ryoko," she thought, shuddering as she felt the extent of the   
damage through their link. Ryoko's chi was almost gone; she had   
expended too much in that attack against Rashava.  
  
Still holding onto Ryoko, Minagi felt a buildup of energy that she   
knew had to be Rashava preparing to attack her from behind. She   
could feel the blast screaming towards her. She tensed, ready to   
shield Ryoko with her body.  
  
The blast wrapped around them and dissipated, roaring but   
harmless, into the distance. Minagi raised her head to find herself   
staring at Ayeka, one hand held up, protecting them with her shield.  
  
Tenchi spared a tortured glance towards Ryoko. She would be fine;   
she had to be fine. For now, he had to draw Rashava's attention   
away from the girls. Clenching the Tenchi-ken, he fed his fury at   
seeing someone dear to him wounded into the blade. He moved   
towards Rashava, a terrible expression on his face.  
  
Rashava's silvery blade slowly swept back and forth. "Let's get this   
over with, child. I have uncompleted business with Lady Washu."   
He looked unconcerned but his voice was tinged with irritation.  
  
A silvery flash clashed against a blue-white streak. Tenchi and   
Rashava locked eyes over their crossed blades, Tenchi's sword   
holding Rashava's in check. Then Rashava quickly dodged back   
and the duel began in earnest as they struck, dodged, and   
counterattacked.  
  
"How is she?" Ayeka asked, her eyes focused on the duel.  
  
"I - I don't know, Ayeka." Minagi desperately wanted Ryoko to open   
her eyes, wink, say something sarcastic, anything. Instead, she   
merely lay silent and still.  
  
A rapid pattering of feet announced Washu's arrival. She hurriedly   
knelt down next to Ryoko, placed her hands over the wound, and   
began pouring energy into it. "Damn! Too much trauma and too little   
energy left. Minagi, I can keep her alive for now, but we need to get   
her to the Hinase's medical bay as soon as possible. Go on, Tenchi   
may need your help." Her voice was clipped and emotionless.  
  
Minagi rose, her blade coming to life. She looked at Ayeka. "Stay   
here and protect Ryoko and Washu."  
  
Ayeka's expression softened as she looked down at Washu cradling   
Ryoko in her arms. She nodded and replied in a soft voice, "Don't   
worry, I'll keep them safe."  
  
Minagi turned and went to join Tenchi in the fight, but froze in   
amazement. It looked like Tenchi would literally tear Rashava apart   
himself. The two were blurring back and forth from lunge and parry,   
cut and block. Then, before she could even take a step towards the   
combat, the battle took a terrible turn.  
  
Rashava leaped back from combat, and as Tenchi charged forward,   
threw a terrible bolt of energy straight into him. Stunned, Tenchi   
was thrown backward across the platform and tumbled to the edge.   
Rashava charged after him, his blade poised to finish him off.  
  
"No!" Minagi screamed, knowing she wouldn't be able to reach him   
in time.  
  
Rashava was halfway to Tenchi when he was bracketed by a series   
of explosions that staggered him to a halt. Minagi breathed a small   
sigh of relief. Looking back, she saw Ayeka waving at her. Then she   
heard a voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand   
right up.  
  
"Duck, Minagi!"  
  
Minagi threw herself to the platform as Mihoshi fired a barrage from   
a heavy cannon on her shoulder. The volley rippled overhead and   
struck Rashava square in the chest, sending him flying backwards   
even as Ayeka sent another blast of her power into him. Minagi was   
about to compliment Mihoshi on her timely entrance, but found her   
mouth hanging open in shock: standing next to Mihoshi was   
Avashar.  
  
"Hey, Minagi, I brought along some help. This guy was nice enough   
to get me inside here!" Her bright smile faded a bit at Minagi's   
shocked expression. "What's the matter?"  
  
Avashar looked a little puzzled. "Uh, Mihoshi, isn't she the dread   
space pirate Ryoko?"  
  
"Oh, no, silly. This is Minagi, Ryoko's sister, and she's a good space   
pirate. By the way, Minagi, where's Ryoko?"  
  
Avashar shook his head and looked blankly at Minagi.  
  
Minagi would have found the situation ironic if the question hadn't   
caused a burst of pain in her. Getting up from the platform, she   
gestured sadly towards where Ryoko lay. "Ryoko's hurt bad. She   
tried to protect me from Rashava."  
  
Mihoshi gasped.  
  
Tenchi struggled to his feet. He raised his blade slightly in challenge   
to Avashar. "Why has a cold-blooded murderer like you come   
here?"  
  
Avashar's face betrayed no emotion. "Murderer, huh? No matter -   
I've come to kill Rashava. You can get out of my way or not, it   
makes no difference to me."  
  
A sudden roar of explosions brought everyone back to the situation   
at hand. Rashava had sent a volley of fire at Ayeka while she   
shielded Ryoko and Washu. She still stood, but alone against   
Rashava's wrath. Trembling from the aftershocks of Rashava's   
strike, she looked down at  
Washu and hurriedly asked, "Washu, can you get Ryoko out of   
here?"  
  
"I can't, Ayeka, not without Minagi to help me. I'm pouring   
everything I have into just keeping Ryoko alive."  
  
Ayeka evaluated the situation: everyone else was a good distance   
away, and Rashava was closing quickly. Setting herself, she began   
drawing deeply from the Jurai power within her.  
  
"You're not getting past me!" she screamed.  
  
Energy surging around her, she fired a massive blast straight into   
Rashava. A bright flash momentarily blinded her, making her blink a   
couple of times. Bright spots swam in her view and her ears rang.   
She had used up everything in that attack. Her body trembled with   
shock; it was difficult to stay standing.  
  
"Now - that - was an attack," she thought proudly.  
  
Rashava was hunched over slightly, a surprised look on his face.   
His clothing smoldered from the force of her blast and his alabaster   
skin was scorched in places. As he looked at the burns across his   
body, his beautiful face twisted into something ugly. Roaring with   
rage, Rashava jerked upright and raised his hands, a terrible glow   
building within them in preparation for a return strike.  
  
Ayeka spread her arms wide and prayed that she could absorb   
enough of the blast to protect Ryoko and Washu. It was all she   
could do. Tears poured down her face as Rashava threw the blast   
at her. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she heard the   
approaching roar. Then nothing; no pain, no sudden agony followed   
by darkness.  
  
Peeking an eye open, she found herself looking into Minagi's   
smiling face.  
  
Ayeka looked around and saw everyone gathered; even Washu and   
Ryoko were there. Confused, she asked, "How did we get over   
here?"  
  
Minagi's smile only widened. "Simple, I teleported over, grabbed   
hold of everyone, and teleported all of us back here." Her smile   
faded as she continued in a more serious tone. "You know, that was   
a pretty brave thing you did. I'm sure Ryoko will be touched to hear   
how you were ready to sacrifice yourself for her."  
  
Ayeka flinched and replied faintly, "Oh, it was nothing, really." She   
felt her legs give out from underneath her, but before she slid to the   
floor she felt strong arms wrap around her. Her heart began to beat   
faster as she realized she was in Tenchi's arms. He smiled softly at   
her, bringing a funny lump to her throat. "Lord Tenchi, I - I'm sorry,   
but I've got nothing left to fight with."  
  
"It's okay, Ayeka. You saved Washu and Ryoko. You've done more   
than your share." Tenchi kneeled and laid her down gently. Rising   
back up, he turned to face a motionless Rashava.  
  
Tenchi blinked. "What's with him?"  
  
Rashava was simply standing still; he had finally noticed Avashar.   
The two glared at each other across the distance.  
  
Rashava spoke slowly, as if choked with emotion. "I almost didn't   
recognize you, brother. You are certainly... weaker, in your new   
host. I left you for dead after our last meeting. I cannot imagine why   
you would want to face me again. "  
  
Avashar shrugged. "Well, you know what they say: if a job is worth   
doing, it's worth dying for."  
  
"Destroyer of Hope! You have walked so far from the path that you   
would destroy an entire realm!" Rashava's tone rang of righteous   
anger and hatred deeper than mortal comprehension. "For over   
40,000 years, you and your ilk have kept your war of genocide   
going against those who gave you life!"  
  
Washu's head snapped up; she stared at Avashar with a strange   
expression on her face.  
  
Avashar smiled grimly. "No, brother, it is all of you who have   
forgotten the oaths you made us swear."  
  
"Lies! Your taint befouls this holy site, the site of a new creation. I   
will enjoy removing your dark presence from this place." Rashava   
charged forward with an angry cry.  
  
Avashar brought he own sword into being. Unlike Rashava's silvery   
blade, Avashar's appeared as plain steel with a cold blue glow   
glimmering along its edge. The two charged towards each other and   
began exchanging furious blows.  
  
At first, Avashar seemed to have the advantage. Moving smoothly   
across the floor, he parried every blow and continued to press   
Rashava back towards the crystal in the center of the platform.   
Rashava seemed surprised at Avashar's ability. Then a wicked   
smile crossed his face. They were almost at the crystal when   
Rashava made his move.  
  
Rashava leaped backward, gaining some space to gather his   
strength. Avashar charged but was stopped by a terrible gust of   
wind that forced him back. The howling wind changed to a   
screaming snowstorm, a driving whiteout that blotted him from sight.   
Stranger yet, the blizzard only appeared within a domed area   
around Avashar. To everyone outside, the effect looked like a   
bizarre Christmas decoration. Rashava made an abrupt cutting   
gesture and the snowstorm disappeared from view.  
  
Avashar had vanished. The part of the platform where the blizzard   
had occurred was coated in a thin layer of ice, but no other sign of   
the event remained.  
  
Rashava smiled. "So goes the last of the Damned. A frozen hell for   
him to stumble through for all eternity, a fitting end for such..."  
  
Rashava's words trailed off as a portal appeared where Avashar   
had last stood. A howling gust of wind spat an ice-covered Avashar   
through the portal and across the platform. Even as he slid to a   
stop, the portal closed as suddenly as it had appeared. Flakes and   
pieces of ice fell off as he drew himself back to his feet. Teeth   
chattering, he shook himself to dislodge the rest of the ice coating   
his body.  
  
"N-nice try with that storm. I see you've picked up some new   
abilities from the library. But I am not without my own tricks." His   
blade reappeared, the plain steel snapping back to life. He moved   
towards Rashava again, grim determination in his eyes.  
  
"I see." There was grudging respect in Rashava's voice. "Yet it   
matters not." He smiled and stepped back to the crystal, placing his   
hands on its surface. The crystal began to hum.  
  
"No!" Avashar shouted, horror on his face.  
  
"He's drawing power again," Minagi cried out. "We've got to stop   
him before he gets too powerful!"  
  
Tenchi looked around at everyone and came to a decision. "Minagi,   
get Washu and Ryoko to the Hinase. Then get Ayeka to Ryo-Ohki.   
Mihoshi, teleport yourself back to the Yukinojo. I want all of you to   
get away from this ship as fast as you can."  
  
Ayeka sat bolt upright and began to protest, along with Minagi and   
Mihoshi. "No! Ten -"  
  
"Listen!" Tenchi's sharp reply startled the women into silence.   
"Ayeka, you can't fight anymore. Minagi, Washu is going to need   
your help with Ryoko. Mihoshi, you wouldn't survive one of   
Rashava's attacks. If you're all safe I'll be better able to focus on the   
battle. Please, go now!"  
  
"He's right, you know." Washu didn't look up from Ryoko's face. "If I   
don't get her to Hinase's medical bay, she'll die. We're just   
hampering Tenchi right now. We've done all we can."  
  
"Thank you, Washu."  
  
Washu didn't reply, but teardrops started dripping on Ryoko's still   
face.  
  
Tenchi swallowed hard, turned, and began walking towards the   
battle. He could hear the sound of Minagi teleporting everyone   
away while Ayeka cried out his name. Mihoshi fiddled with her GP   
Cube and disappeared in a flash of light. Closing his eyes in relief,   
Tenchi felt a vast weight lift from his shoulders.  
  
His eyes snapped open again. Avashar and Rashava were already   
fighting; it was time to get serious.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avashar dripped sweat and blood but seemed far from beaten. He   
nodded curtly at Tenchi before throwing himself back into the fray.   
Together they moved against Rashava, blades keening as strike   
met counter-strike.  
  
Rashava had gained fearsome power from the crystal. His blade   
whirled and met both attackers smoothly. Then he began   
counterattacking.  
  
Tenchi staggered backwards, blows raining down on him from every   
direction. Parrying and thrusting as quickly as he could, he was   
amazed at the sheer power radiating from Rashava. Tenchi recalled   
what Washu had said during breakfast: "... can only maintain those   
higher levels of power for a limited period of time before it would   
burn out from all the energy it is channeling".  
  
"Yeah, Washu," he thought, "but just how long can he maintain this   
level of power?" Before he could mull on this further, he was   
knocked to the ground by a powerful blow. Gasping, he could feel a   
horrible numbness crawling up his side. It was hard to catch his   
breath, and he could only watch helplessly as Rashava moved to   
finish him off.  
  
Before Rashava could follow up his attack, Avashar knocked his   
blade aside. With a quick reverse, he slashed Rashava across the   
chest, making him scream in pain and stagger backward towards   
the crystal. Lunging forward with a terrible cry, Avashar stabbed   
Rashava clear through his chest.  
  
Avashar's cry of triumph suddenly cut off with a gurgle. Rashava's   
return strike had plunged his sword clear through him, lifting him   
into the air. With a choked snarl, Rashava sent a massive pulse of   
power surging through his blade, sending Avashar tumbling   
bonelessly across the platform.  
  
Rashava shuffled painfully forward. His wound was deep and his   
skin sizzled and popped around it. Still, a dark and terrible aura   
surrounded him and his blade was rock steady in his hand.  
  
"This doesn't look good," thought Tenchi as he clawed himself back   
up. His left side was slick with blood; he could feel it running down   
his thigh. Thoughts of everyone he cared for flashed before him.   
With a husky cry, he focused his mind and brought forth the Light   
Hawk Wings, then transformed them into armor and the Light Hawk   
Sword.  
  
Rashava's eyes widened in shock. "Your blade, it's impossible! No   
mortal in this dimension should be able to generate such a blade."   
  
Tenchi sensed his foe's hesitation and exploded into action. No   
longer worried about parrying, he struck blow after powerful blow   
against Rashava, heedless of the damage done to him. The pain   
and loss could come later. Rashava stumbled backwards, terrible   
wounds opening as Tenchi slashed at him mercilessly.  
  
Avashar slowly regained consciousness. A horrible rattling shook in   
his chest and he could feel his wounds throbbing in time with his   
heartbeat. His heart sank as he sensed a massive, raging aura off   
to his side. "Rashava must have reached unprecedented levels of   
power," he thought in despair. "I have failed in my mission." Turning   
around, he froze at the sight of Tenchi's mad duel with Rashava.  
  
"Impossible."  
  
Tenchi's aura raged like nothing Avashar had ever seen in this   
realm. Still Rashava was continuing to draw power from the crystal.   
At this rate, Rashava would surpass even Tenchi's ability. How   
were they going to defeat him?  
  
Rashava kept his eyes intently focused on Tenchi as he blocked yet   
another lightning-fast thrust. This child was the most dangerous   
adversary he had faced in this realm; in raw power and speed, he   
rivaled even Avashar - an impressive feat for a native. A small smile   
crossed his face. Powerful or not, Tenchi's wound was significant   
and his strength was slowly starting to fade. It would not be long   
before he made a fatal mistake.  
  
Rashava ducked under Tenchi's slash, then countered with a quick   
punch to his wounded left side. The pain from the blow took   
Tenchi's breath away and made him stagger backwards. Rashava   
followed up with a series of quick slashes, forcing Tenchi back.   
Tenchi could taste the coppery tang of blood in his mouth. His arms   
were shaking from the effort of blocking Rashava's attacks.  
  
Tenchi was losing. Rashava's technique wasn't perfect, but he was   
making up for it with boundless energy, terrible speed, and steadily   
increasing strength. Even when Tenchi scored a hit, Rashava would   
heal the wound almost instantly. Worse yet, Tenchi could feel his   
own strength slipping away, the pain in his side slowly   
overwhelming his ability to ignore it. A black wave of despair   
crashed over him.  
  
How were they going to defeat Rashava?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mihoshi looked around in surprise. She didn't know where she was,   
but it certainly wasn't the Yukinojo. She scrunched her nose and   
sneezed; the air was filled with the scent of something old and   
dusty. Eyes watering, she regarded her GP cube ruefully.  
  
"One of these days, I'm going to read the manual about you."  
  
She turned the troublesome cube back into a puffball and stored it   
on her backside. Cautiously hefting the cannon back to her   
shoulder, she took in her new environs.  
  
The room she had appeared in would have been completely dark if   
not for the motes of light wandering about. In the center of the room   
floated a scaled down version of the crystal in Rashava's ship. It   
emitted a faint humming noise that filled the room, steadily getting   
louder as the motes drifted into the crystal's heart.  
  
Countless books lined the walls in bookshelves and many more   
were jumbled together on the floor. As she watched, more tiny   
globes of light rose out from books and drifted towards the crystal.   
Could they be the books stolen from the library?  
  
"If these are all the books, I wonder what that crystal is doing? Yes,   
it is my duty as a Galaxy Police officer to investigate this further."  
  
Striding forward confidently, Mihoshi gave a small shriek as she   
stubbed a toe on a particularly large and solid book right in front of   
her. Hopping on one foot, she wobbled for a second, then balanced   
precariously, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Then she sneezed   
again.  
  
Losing her balance, she crashed into a pile of books, scattering   
them everywhere. More books fell from the shelves, burying her in a   
growing pile of ancient lore. She screamed in terror as a huge blast   
of fire erupted right next to her, followed by ear-shattering blasts   
that echoed around the room. Priceless books exploded in a   
holocaust of firepower.  
  
As the last of the explosions faded away, Mihoshi unclenched her   
eyes and dragged herself out from under the pile that had fallen on   
her.  
  
She pursed her lips in a silent whistle. Massive holes had been   
blasted in the bookshelves; entire shelves of books had been   
vaporized. Ash and smoke floated everywhere. Very few of the   
motes of light remained. The crystal was still floating, but now it   
wobbled around, a large piece of it blasted away.  
  
Puzzled, she tried to figure out what had opened fire on her. Raising   
her cannon again, she noticed that the out of ammo icon was   
flashing. She wondered how she could have run out of ammo. She   
had only fired a few rounds earlier and... oh.  
  
She tittered nervously. "I guess I must have accidentally pulled the   
trigger when I fell."  
  
Tossing the cannon aside, she grabbed her GP cube and began   
desperately twisting it again. The smell of ozone was getting worse   
and the crystal was keening with painful intensity.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Rashava spun, neatly blocking another of Tenchi's attacks and   
knocking Tenchi to the platform. Light Hawk Wings or not, Rashava   
was doing more than just holding his own. He had battered both   
Tenchi and Avashar back with his powerful attacks and he showed   
no signs of weakening.  
  
Suddenly the massive crystal began keening horribly. Sprawled on   
the ground, Tenchi could feel the hairs on the back of his neck   
rising. His teeth shook. Beside him, Avashar stared in amazement   
at the crystal.  
  
Rashava turned to the crystal, a look of horror crossing his face.   
"No!" he screamed, his voice filled with dread. "The knowledge   
transfer to facilitate recreation has not been completed. It is too   
soon to initiate the reaction!"  
  
Snarling, Rashava turned and looked at both Tenchi and Avashar   
sprawled on the platform. He was torn between finishing them off   
and rushing to repair the crystal. "I don't know what's happened, but   
don't think you've won. I'll be back."  
  
Smoke poured out of a portal that flashed into life before him.   
Stepping through, he stopped in shock as he found a soot-covered   
Mihoshi, coughing and hacking amidst the wreckage of his library.   
She waved her hands feebly to clear the smoke away from her   
watering eyes.  
  
"Thanks for opening the door. It was getting really smoky in here -"   
Her words ended in a shriek as she realized that she was standing   
directly in front of a very enraged Rashava.  
  
Rashava was still recovering from the shock of seeing the condition   
of his library. "Impossible! There is no way anyone can enter my   
inner sanctum!"  
  
Smiling nervously, Mihoshi sidled away from him. "Oh, is that what   
this is? I'm sorry. You know - you really should keep your books in   
better order. They're too easy to trip over." She was still nervously   
twisting her GP Cube.  
  
"Stay right there." The menace in his voice froze her in place. "I'm   
just going to take a moment to slice you in half."  
  
Mihoshi shrieked again and jumped for the safety of the open portal.   
Rashava's blade sliced right through where she had been a   
moment earlier, missing her by a hair. He ground his teeth; dealing   
with her would have to wait. He spared her retreating backside one   
last glare before striding further into the library. The portal closed   
behind him.  
  
Still sprawled on the platform, Avashar watched in amazement as   
Mihoshi stumbled out of the portal and tumbled to the platform. Her   
GP Cube flashed, finally teleporting her away. Looking over at   
Tenchi, Avashar spoke in an awed tone. "You don't think she..."  
  
Tenchi raised his head and shot a pained grin at Avashar. "Yeah,   
I'm pretty sure she did."  
  
Avashar hacked and spat up some blood. Struggling to his feet, he   
swayed and studied the energies pouring from the crystal. A vast   
sense of relief flowed through him. "Rashava is a fool if he thinks he   
can stabilize that crystal!" His voice rang with triumph.  
  
He staggered over to Tenchi. Kneeling, he could see the terrible   
wound to his side. Tenchi shivered and looked up at Avashar with   
calm eyes. "So does this mean we win?"  
  
"Yes. Thanks to Mihoshi, this ship and its crystal will explode, but   
not in the way needed to initiate recreation."  
  
Tenchi focused, ignoring the pain of his wounds. "Explosion. How   
big?"  
  
"Only enough to destroy this system. No more." Avashar shrugged   
casually.  
  
A bolt of dread pierced Tenchi's heart. To his surprise, he found he   
had the strength to grab Avashar's arm. "You can't let my world die!   
Please help me stop this explosion."  
  
Avashar shook his head. "I will not stop this. If I do, Rashava may   
be able to complete recreation later. I'm sorry." His words were firm,   
but sadness tinged his voice.  
  
"You bastard..." Tenchi's hand slipped away and he slumped to the   
platform.  
  
Tenchi could feel himself falling into a void. As he fell, he could see   
the faces of all he cared for. His Father and Grandfather. Sasami   
smiling and making the Masaki house a home again. Washu with   
her experiments and wisdom. Ryo-Ohki and her love of carrots.   
Mihoshi's bright smile and knack for trouble. Minagi's bravery and   
kindness. Ayeka's sweet and gentle spirit. Ryoko... I'm sorry,   
Ryoko. Then darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Rashava screamed in rage as he looked at the wreckage of his   
library. The controlling crystal was ruined and many books had   
been destroyed before the knowledge transfer had been completed.   
Flecks of spittle flew as he ranted in helpless fury. "How can this   
be? There is no way she could have entered this room!"  
  
He took several deep shuddering breaths to calm himself.   
Collecting his thoughts, he evaluated the situation. The main crystal   
was supposed to initiate recreation only after all the necessary   
dimensional information had been transferred. Only with that   
knowledge could the massive energies pent up within the crystal be   
focused correctly. As it stood, the crystal was heading towards a   
premature detonation, without the proper guards in place to control   
the explosion.  
  
He sat down among the burned and tattered books, his proud face   
lined with grief and resignation as he stared at the shattered control   
crystal. His mind reached out to Avashar. /An entire race has been   
doomed, Avashar. I hope you're happy knowing that the blood of   
countless billions of souls will be on your hands./ His mind's voice   
was like the whisper of dirt falling on a casket.  
  
Avashar raised his head. His thoughts rang back defiantly. /40,000   
years, brother. Why can't you realize that we don't belong here?   
What gives us the right to destroy everything here to make way for   
our kind?/  
  
Rashava ignored the retort. /All dead, brother. You have succeeded   
in killing us all. I was the last to come across before our realm   
collapses. Now there will be nothing./  
  
A terrible expression crossed Avashar's face. He fully knew the fate   
he had consigned to all life within his realm. He could feel   
Rashava's crushing depression; he must have realized it was too   
late to stop the explosion. Once the crystal was destroyed, their   
race's last chance for escape would be closed. Soon after, the   
impending collapse would obliterate all life in their realm.  
  
"After this explosion there will be no further chances for crossover. I   
will finally be free of the oath I swore long ago." Avashar's mouth   
quirked into a sad little smile. The freedom from his oath was   
meaningless; he had no intention of escaping the blast.  
  
Massive arcs of energy burst from the crystal. The power was over-   
whelming - no mortal could withstand such energies without being   
blotted from existence.  
  
Avashar stood and reveled in the energies raging around him,   
waiting for the final, terrible burst of energy. His body shook with   
excitement as a deep eagerness for destruction trembled within   
him. The coming explosion would finally release him from this   
realm. Unchecked, it would be sufficient to blot out all life in the   
entire Solar System.  
  
The view around the platform warped to reflect the actual space   
Rashava's ship occupied in close orbit around Jupiter. The gaseous   
surface stretching off into the distance in all directions.  
  
A pang of guilt flashed through him; he looked down at Tenchi, a   
wide pool of blood around his body. A haunted look crossed   
Avashar's face as he remembered all those who had fought and   
died over the millennia. Although nobody would hear him, he still   
whispered in a distant voice, "For every battle honor, a thousand   
heroes die alone, unsung, and unremembered."  
  
He kneeled next to Tenchi and gently laid a hand on his head. For   
an instant, something ancient looked out through his eyes. He   
turned his face towards Jupiter's roiling surface. A faint smile   
crossed his face; the release from 40,000 years of sacrifice   
balanced against saving one life-filled planet. Quite a decision to   
make.  
  
  



	4. "Loss and hope"

[Author's Note: This story is placed in the "No Need for Tenchi" manga   
universe, an extension of the OAV series. It reflects individuals and   
events from the first eight mangas.]  
  
No Need for Tenchi - Minagi's Adventure  
Chapter 4: Loss and Hope  
  
  
  
Sasami drifted in velvety darkness, the only source of light a blazing  
crystal floating in the distance ahead. Ayeka and the others were  
flying away from the crystal and towards her. As they drew closer, she  
saw that Washu was carrying Ryoko, and Tenchi wasn't with them.  
  
Suddenly the crystal exploded into a fiery pyre, the flames reaching  
out towards them.  
  
"Look out behind you!" Sasami screamed, as loud as she could, but they  
didn't seem to notice the terrible blaze about to engulf them.  
  
Sasami stirred uneasily in her sleep, her blanket twisting around her.  
Tears slid down her cheek as she gave a small whimper and huddled into  
a small ball.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu's head snapped up from surgery. "That buildup of energy - it  
couldn't be," she thought. Her voice snapped with authority. "Hinase!  
Get me communications with Yukinojo and Ryo-Ohki."  
  
[Right away, Ms. Washu.]  
  
Washu was so distracted that she didn't even correct Hinase's slip. She  
got right to the point as soon as Ayeka and Mihoshi appeared on the com  
screens. "Listen up! That ship is going to explode, and it's going to  
be a big one! We'll have to take shelter behind Jupiter or we'll be  
incinerated."  
  
"But what about Tenchi?" Ayeka cried out. "We can go back -"  
  
"There's no time, Ayeka! Listen to me. Tenchi will be fine. We, on the  
other hand, will not be if we're anywhere nearby when that ship goes   
up. Follow the Hinase."  
  
"How's Ryoko, Washu?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"It's bad. If she hadn't used up so much of her energy in the blast,   
she'd be fine." Washu thought about asking Mihoshi why she was covered  
in soot, but decided against it; some things were better left unknown.  
"Now go!" Washu cut the com screens and took a deep breath.  
  
"Hinase, get us around the other side of Jupiter. I want to shelter us  
from the effects of the blast. And keep tracking that ship as long as   
you can, I need to know if anything leaves it. Understand?"  
  
[Yes, Ms. Washu]. The Hinase leaped forward at top speed, engines   
pushed to the max.  
  
In the operating room, Washu bowed her head. Tears ran down her face as  
she whispered an apology to Ryoko. "I'm sorry, honey, but I had to  
leave Tenchi behind. I know it's what he would have wanted." Washu  
looked down at Ryoko's unconscious face and gently ran a hand down her  
cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so very sorry." Blinking away  
her tears, she focused herself and dove back into surgery with frantic  
energy.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mihoshi sat in the Yukinojo's command chair nervously twisting her  
hands together. She snuffled a little bit, feeling bad about leaving   
Tenchi like that to face Rashava. She spoke aloud without even   
realizing it. "Please come back, Tenchi."  
  
Yukinojo interrupted her train of thought. [Mihoshi, my sensors are   
detecting movement of the unknown vessel.]   
  
"Really, where is it going?"  
  
[The TurtleDove has moved alongside and is pushing the other ship down  
into Jupiter's gravity well. Both vessels are accelerating downwards at  
a significant rate. In addition, I am reading still higher energy  
levels emanating from the unknown vessel. At this rate it will have the  
energy equivalent of a small nova.]  
  
"Oh, my! Yukinojo, will we be safe on the other side of Jupiter?"  
  
Yukinojo calculated all possible outcomes of a high-level energy burst  
close to a gas giant. His voice was more somber than usual as he read  
off the most likely outcome. [If the blast occurred in open space, we  
could stay sheltered behind Jupiter, but the shock wave would be  
sufficiently powerful to destroy all life on the Earth. With the vessel  
being pushed into Jupiter, the explosion will be partially absorbed and  
the shock wave will not be powerful enough to annihilate life on Earth,  
but we will no longer be shielded and will not be safe from the force  
of the blast.]  
  
Mihoshi's voice was small. "Yukinojo, will Tenchi survive?"  
  
[I'm sorry, Mihoshi, but Tenchi's abilities exceed my capacity to  
compute his chances of survival. We, on the other hand, will be quite   
dead if we stay where we are.]  
  
Mihoshi bit her lip. It would take time to explain everything, and time   
was something they didn't have. "Listen, everyone! The explosion is  
going to take place inside Jupiter, not on the other side. We have to   
move away as fast as possible!" Tears glittered in her eyes; Tenchi  
would have to take care of himself.  
  
Aboard Ryo-Ohki, Ayeka flinched as she heard Mihoshi's report. If it  
was true, they were going to be in a lot of trouble very soon. She   
turned to look at Jupiter and wondered what was happening on the other  
side. She silently prayed for Tenchi's safety.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The last two warships of an ancient race sped downwards towards  
Jupiter. One ship gleamed silvery bright, its once sleek surface   
shattered in places by Ryo-Ohki's ramming attack, arcs of energy  
spitting from the damaged areas. Its hull glowed from the terrible   
energies straining to break free from within it. The second ship was   
coal black, its own hull marred by countless modifications.  
  
The two ships flashed from sight as the TurtleDove's straining engines  
drove both of them into Jupiter's tumultuous eye. The ships separated  
as the TurtleDove tried to use its momentum and Jupiter's dense  
atmosphere to deflect itself back out of the gravity well. Plumes of  
flame spat upwards as charged gases were rent by the energies generated  
in Rashava's dying ship. Then a massive explosion reached up, flames  
licking the TurtleDove's hull before swallowing it whole.   
  
That first explosion was just the beginning of terrible changes to  
Jupiter. The entire gas giant rippled as something deep within it   
erupted. Imperceptibly at first, then with steadily increasing speed,  
new changes began to sweep across its surface. Jupiter's eye began   
swirling tighter, losing its shape and drawing itself inwards, becoming  
a howling vortex that twisted and sucked the surrounding gases down   
into it. Jupiter itself began to deform around the sucking maw.  
  
Faster yet, more gases were sucked inwards, and in a few short minutes  
Jupiter was a mere third of its original size. The first bursts of  
light tore outwards from deep within the center of the vortex. All the  
closer moons shattered, sending plumes of debris flying through space.  
  
Jupiter was a quarter of its original size when the final explosion   
began. In a fiery annunciation the gas giant burst alight, the force of  
its birth exploding outwards into space. Jupiter blazed, a newborn  
star, its diminutive mass fed by energies released from the crystal. A  
massive shock wave tore outwards, obliterating all in its path and  
bursting the last remaining moons asunder.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mihoshi watched the events with curiosity. Pointing, she said,  
"Yukinojo, what's that?"  
  
[Mihoshi, that's a powerful energy wave! We're as good as dead. We have  
exactly two minutes before we're turned into component atoms!]  
  
"No, silly, what's that?" She pointed at a shimmering shape that had  
appeared between them and the approaching wave.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tears streamed down Ayeka's face as she bid Tenchi farewell. The tears  
were making it hard to see clearly, and Jupiter seemed to be shimmering  
and blurring. But then Ryo-Ohki gave a confused meow and she realized  
that the shimmering was caused by something between them and the  
onrushing energy wave.  
  
Ayeka's heart pounded as she recognized Light Hawk Wings appearing one  
by one, announcing the arrival of Jurai's Ship of the Beginning:  
Tsunami.  
  
Energies sufficient to destroy planets were brushed aside by Tsunami's  
power. As the three ships fled, Tsunami followed, holding open a path  
for them to travel in.  
  
Ayeka watched in awe and fear as Tsunami covered their retreat. She  
knew that even Tsunami couldn't weather such a force unmolested.  
Moments later her fears were confirmed as a light hawk wing flared and  
died. Hurtling debris and energy ravaged Tsunami's hull, blasting  
gracefully curved wood into pieces and stabbing bolts of energy deeply  
into her. When a second wing failed, Ayeka had to look away.  
  
The energy wave finally caught up with the fleeing ships. Although only  
a small tithe of its original power had seeped past Tsunami's defenses,  
it was enough to inflict serious damage on Ryo-Ohki, Hinase, and  
Yukinojo, violently tossing the ships around.  
  
Eventually the worst of the blast was over, and Ayeka's eyes burned  
as she saw the marring and scorching on Tsunami's once graceful hull.  
The two destroyed light hawk wings made her look lopsided. She tried  
several times before she could speak. "Tsunami, Sasami. I don't know  
how you knew, but thank you. We all owe our lives to you."  
  
She gasped as Tsunami's ghostly human form appeared floating before  
Ryo-Ohki. Usually Tsunami appeared flawless in her non-corporeal form,  
but now she looked battered and worn out. A dark stain was spreading  
over her left forearm. She smiled wearily at Ayeka. "You're welcome,  
Princess Ayeka. I - we - realized what was happening, and I came as  
quickly as I could."  
  
"Thank you, so very much."  
  
Tsunami gave a shy smile. "Sasami would never forgive me, or herself,  
if I didn't help out." Her image shimmered and began to fade. "My  
apologies, but I have to go now. The force released in the explosion  
was... considerable, and I need time to recover."  
  
Ayeka watched in silence as Tsunami turned and disappeared. The First  
Ship of Jurai had once again saved the royal family. She shivered as  
she thought of the awesome energies Tsunami had withstood to protect  
them. In fact, Ayeka couldn't remember a time in Jurai history when  
Tsunami had been so badly damaged. Whispering silent thanks to Tsunami  
again, she turned back to where Jupiter had once been.  
  
Not quite a full-fledged star, Jupiter still shone brightly and showed   
no signs of dimming. A large field of gas and debris was floating in a  
wide sphere around the new star, fogging its outline. It was a   
strangely beautiful sight. Ayeka brushed a tear from her face; the   
sight of Jupiter as a star was somehow uplifting.  
  
"Hey everyone, are you okay?"   
  
Ayeka turned towards the com screen to see Minagi's face peering out   
worriedly. She felt a sudden surge of hope. "Minagi! You're up - is  
Ryoko okay? Are you okay?"  
  
"Ryoko's doing fine, but she's unconscious right now, and will probably  
be out cold for the next day or so. I'm still a little weak from the  
surgery; Washu had to take quite a bit of blood and marrow from me."  
  
Ayeka sighed in relief. She had been worried about Ryoko. Not that   
she'd admit it, but it was good to hear that she would be fine. Now all  
she had to worry about was Tenchi. "Minagi, do we have any information   
about Lord Tenchi and those ships?"  
  
Washu's face flashed up on another com screen. She was still in her   
nurse's uniform. "I'm reviewing the data from before the explosion   
right now. It looks like both ships entered Jupiter's upper atmosphere,  
but only the TurtleDove started back out. Visual scans show a large   
preliminary explosion and then nothing. But I don't know what kind of   
debris Avashar's ship would have left if it had been destroyed."  
  
Mihoshi's hopeful face appeared on another com screen. "Washu, does  
that mean Tenchi survived?" she asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.  
  
"I feel confident that they survived the first explosion, but the   
second explosion and that energy wave was pretty powerful." She sounded  
frustrated. "I just didn't have time to set up the kind of observation  
we need, so we're going to have to go back and search for them."  
  
Ayeka smiled. She would search every square kilometer of the Solar   
System if need be to find Tenchi. "I'm positive he escaped. Let's   
begin, shall we?"  
  
Determination was on everyone's faces. If Tenchi was out there to be  
found, they would find him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
40 minutes after the explosion  
  
Sasami woke screaming. She sat panting with terror in the darkness,   
gripping her knees and rocking back and forth. Something terrible had   
happened - she knew it. Getting up, she dashed downstairs and outside   
to the pier. Looking up, she scanned the night sky.  
  
Katsuhito's voice came from behind her. "Sasami? Are you alright,  
child?"  
  
Relieved that she wasn't alone, Sasami dashed to Katsuhito and buried   
herself in his arms. Terrible sobs wracked her small body. "Gr-   
Grandfather, I had a bad dream. I saw everybody, but Tenchi was   
missing. A huge fire was coming after them, then I was on fire, and   
everyone was in danger. I'm so scared."  
  
"Nonsense, child, I'm sure everyone is fine." Katsuhito's words   
trailed off as the night sky suddenly brightened. Looking up, he   
watched a brilliant flash appear where Jupiter should have been.   
Stranger yet, Jupiter remained blazing in the night sky, and much,   
much brighter than ever before.  
  
Sasami looked up and saw Jupiter's bright glow. Tears trickled down her  
face. "Please be okay, everyone," she whispered up to the stars.  
"Please be okay."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
12 hours after the explosion  
  
Minagi felt exhausted in both body and spirit. The residual radiation   
from Jupiter's birth was scrambling all the ship's sensors, so they  
could only search a fraction of the space they usually could. There was  
a huge amount of debris tumbling through the area; it was often hard to  
tell a hunk of rock from a spaceship. That required making a visual  
inspection of each object, which took time and kept everyone up.  
  
Her mind shied away from thinking about how much more powerful the   
blast must have been so much closer to Jupiter. It seemed a forlorn   
hope that anything could have survived this close to the center. Minagi  
closed her eyes in thought: "We barely survived, and we had Tsunami  
protecting us."  
  
It was a shame that Tsunami couldn't stay, but the damage inflicted on   
her hull required rest and repair. It was amazing that she had  
withstood energies of that magnitude.  
  
She scolded herself. The explosion was destructive enough, but Tenchi   
had once saved himself, Mihoshi, and Princess Ayeka from a black hole.  
If he hadn't been hurt too badly in combat, he should be floating  
around somewhere. They just had to find him.   
  
Settling her nerves, she looked over at Washu, who was using her own  
workstation to help scan the area from her workstation. Washu had   
worked magic on Ryoko, but Minagi couldn't help feeling a little guilty  
about Ryoko's condition.   
  
"It's not your fault, if that's what you're thinking."  
  
Minagi flinched. "How did you...? I wasn't thinking that - exactly."  
  
Washu sighed. "First, I note that you've been fixed to the command deck   
and haven't visited Ryoko yet." She counted the points off on her   
fingers. "Second, during the battle I could tell how you felt about   
Ryoko. And third, after the surgery you took one look at her and  
scurried off as fast as you could."  
  
"I did not scurry!"  
  
"Right, you were still too weak to scurry. But you tried your best to."  
Washu waggled a finger at Minagi accusingly.  
  
Minagi's mouth felt dry and her palms were suddenly sweaty. She could   
feel her heart hammering in her chest and a sick feeling in her   
stomach.  
  
Washu smiled and sprang off her cushion. "Let's go visit Ryoko!"   
Grabbing Minagi by the hand, she dragged her protesting down the   
corridors.  
  
Minagi struggled at first but settled down when they reached Ryoko. She  
couldn't get over how frail Ryoko looked just lying there. A guilty   
part of her blamed herself for Ryoko's terrible wound, and she thought   
about how this was the second time Ryoko had sacrificed so much to save  
her. She reached out and touched Ryoko's hand gingerly, as if she was   
made of the finest porcelain.  
  
Washu looked at her seriously. "Minagi, Ryoko is technically your   
mother. You may not have known until recently, but it doesn't change   
the fact you have family now. Sure, Ryoko is a hopeless degenerate with  
as much common sense as a cabbit, but she means well." Washu grinned   
lopsidedly down at Ryoko's sleeping form and brushed a lock of hair   
from her face. "Still, I'm her mother, and I do love my girl."  
  
"Minagi, we may not be family in the ordinary sense, and Ryoko isn't   
exactly the mothering figure you may be looking for. I'd like you to   
think of me as your Mom and Ryoko as your older, mildly delinquent   
sister. If that means we get hurt trying to help each other, it's only   
because we care. Besides, you were only trying to protect me."  
  
Minagi smiled back at Washu, feeling a bit better. Something bothered   
her about the "protecting her" bit, however; she couldn't quite   
remember the events leading up to Ryoko's injury. She shrugged and   
figured that if she could help find Tenchi, it might pay back the debt   
she owed Ryoko. She wished she could remember more about what had  
happened before the fight, though.  
  
"Thanks, Washu. I'm sorry about acting funny." Minagi got up, but   
paused at the doorway. "Washu, I can't seem to remember what happened   
before my fight with Rashava. Do you know why?"  
  
"Probably just a side effect from being Ryoko's blood and marrow donor.  
I wouldn't worry about it."  
  
Minagi smiled and headed off to the command deck. Washu watched her   
leave, her eyes serious. She breathed a smile sigh of relief, patted   
Ryoko on the head, and got up.   
  
It appeared that her selective memory swipe device worked perfectly, as  
she knew it would. There were parts of a mother's past that no daughter  
should learn about.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
30 hours after the explosion  
  
"Ayeka, I know you're hurt. You must come aboard the Hinase so I can   
take a look at you." Washu's tone was one of mounting irritation.  
  
"I'm sorry, Washu, but I'm fine. I'm not stopping my search for Tenchi   
and that is final." Ayeka's voice was firm and resolute. She might   
regret her words later, but she would sooner die than give up on Tenchi  
again. "Besides, we need to cover as much space as quickly as   
possible."  
  
Washu looked sourly at Ayeka, muttered something about headstrong youth  
these days, and then cut the connection. Ayeka sighed in relief.  
  
Ayeka shivered and tried to deal with the growing fear that Tenchi was   
dead. Her wounds ached and she felt chilled and miserable, but she knew  
that she'd sooner die than give up hope. She had learned a lot from the  
battle with Yume and the Bizen. She knew that life could triumph even   
when all hope seemed lost. But so far their search hadn't turned up   
anything and it seemed like they needed a miracle.  
  
Washu sighed again at Ayeka's stubbornness and returned to the playback  
of the explosion. She had reviewed it countless times but hadn't seen   
any sign of an escaping ship, even at the last few seconds before the   
explosion. The radiation buildup before Jupiter's ignition had made it  
difficult to detect any kind of activity, especially of something   
headed away from them. All they could do was search and then search   
some more. It galled her to admit it, but what they needed was a   
miracle.  
  
Ryoko stirred and finally opened her eyes. A dull ache radiated from   
her side and it seemed hard to draw a deep breath. "On the plus side,"   
she noted wryly, "the ache in my side draws attention from the fact  
that my body feels like it has been beaten all over." Groaning with   
effort, she slowly forced herself to sit up. Her head swam for a second  
before settling down.  
  
It took several tries, but she finally clawed her way out of bed and   
into the hallway. She found it much easier to lean heavily against the   
wall and shuffle her way towards the bridge. "God, I wish I knew how   
long I was out..."  
  
She finally reached the Hinase's bridge. Washu and Minagi were both  
intently focused on their work. Both looked exhausted; Washu hadn't   
changed out of her nurse's uniform, and Minagi was still dressed in a   
short surgical gown.   
  
"Hey, what's going on here?" Ryoko was surprised at how weak her voice   
sounded.  
  
Washu and Minagi slowly turned and faced her; they both seemed   
surprised to see her up. The haunted look in their faces froze her   
soul.  
  
"Wh-what happened? Where's everyone else?" Her heart started hammering  
and for some reason a wave of panic was building up within her. The   
dull look on their faces didn't bode well at all.  
  
"Ryoko, everyone's fine," Minagi replied. "Except Tenchi. Rashava's   
ship exploded and caused Jupiter to explode into a star." She paused,   
an awkward expression on her face. "We haven't been able to find any   
sign of Tenchi or Avashar." Her voice was hoarse with exhaustion and   
grief.  
  
Ryoko swayed. Suddenly she felt Washu at her side, supporting her. "You  
shouldn't be up yet, Ryoko. You were badly hurt and you need time to   
heal."  
  
"Hold on, Washu. How long have you guys been searching for Tenchi? How   
big an explosion are we talking about, anyway?"  
  
"We've been searching for 36 hours straight, Ryoko. Minagi came here  
right from your surgery and has been at the helm ever since. As for how  
big an explosion, the dimensional energy released was powerful enough  
to turn Jupiter into a new star, at least for a little while." Unable  
to help herself, she began to get technical. "You see, Jupiter is about  
40 times smaller than an ordinary star, so it shouldn't be able to   
sustain such a reaction much longer. Only the release of high-level   
dimensional energy is keeping it burning."  
  
Ryoko didn't say anything; she just slowly slid to her knees and bowed   
her head. She clenched and unclenched her fists in her lap. Deep   
shuddering breaths wracked her body.   
  
Washu knelt next to her, pulled out a small device, and pressed it   
against her neck. Ryoko's ragged breathing slowed and she gently   
slumped over into Washu's arms.   
  
"She's not ready for this yet, Minagi. Can you get her back to bed?"   
Washu's expression was one of total exhaustion.  
  
Minagi nodded, unable to say anything. She felt the wave of anguish   
from Ryoko when she heard the news about Tenchi, and Ryoko's sense of   
loss tore at her heart. Tears sparkled in her eyes as she tenderly   
brushed Ryoko's hair before picking her up. Ryoko seemed so light and   
frail right now. She could feel Ryoko's heart beating rapidly.   
  
She finally returned to the bridge and rejoined Washu. She knew that  
Washu had to be at least as tired as she felt, but she would never   
suggest that Washu should take a break. She knew there was still a   
chance of finding Tenchi, but she also knew what they needed was a   
miracle.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
36 hours after the explosion  
  
Ryoko slowly woke up, curled tightly in a fetal position. She stretched  
slowly, forcing her tense muscles to relax a bit. Rolling over on her   
back, she stared up at the ceiling, her yellow eyes troubled. She still  
felt weak, but better than she had before.  
  
Tenchi.   
  
Just thinking about him made her tremble. Forcing him from her  
thoughts, she focused on just getting out of bed and to the command   
deck again. She gritted her teeth and dragged herself out of bed.  
Although she wobbled a bit, she felt a lot steadier on her feet than  
before. Walking down the corridor was easier and she only needed to   
brace herself against the wall three times.  
  
Minagi and Washu were in the same place that she had last seen them. A  
large screen floated before them displaying the volume of space that  
they had already searched, but it was dwarfed by the volume that was  
still left to be checked.  
  
"No Tenchi yet?" Ryoko could feel the strain in her voice, but she kept  
her despair tightly locked away. In fact, she was forcing all her   
emotions away, keeping an icy shield wrapped around her.  
  
Washu turned and faced her daughter. "No, but we're still searching."  
  
"What's taking so long?" Ryoko could feel wild anger battering away at  
her, but her voice was soft and steady. She had to stay in control.  
  
Washu looked at Ryoko oddly before continuing. "Jupiter's birth as a   
star is causing havoc with our communications and our sensors. Making   
things worse is the energy released by Rashava's ship and that crystal  
of his. The higher dimensional energy is messing up my sensors. Half   
the material and energy radiating from Jupiter is unlike anything I've   
ever seen before." Frustration filled her voice; she clenched her fists  
unconsciously. "Our ability to search is reduced to just barely ten  
percent. Given the volume of space we have to search..." She looked   
anxiously at Ryoko.  
  
"Tsunami, what about her?" There was a edge to Ryoko's voice now.  
  
Washu's shoulders tensed; Ryoko's emotions were too controlled, and   
there was a brittleness there which was dangerous for someone in her   
condition. Washu made her voice sound as soothing as possible. "Ryoko   
dear, Tsunami took a considerable amount of damage protecting us from   
the explosion. She would have searched if she could, but she was too   
badly hurt."  
  
"If Tsunami could barely protect us, how can we expect Tenchi to   
survive? It must have been much worse so much closer to the blast."   
Ryoko's voice was starting to shake. She could feel her control  
slipping.  
  
Minagi spoke up, her eyes worried. "Ryoko, Avashar's ship seems pretty  
durable. I couldn't scratch it with Hinase scoring a direct hit with a  
full volley. With Tenchi's help they could have survived."  
  
"Minagi's right, Ryoko. They should be fine." Washu forced herself to   
sound as breezy and confident as she didn't feel.  
  
Ryoko didn't respond. Outwardly calm, she could feel the last shred of   
her control beginning to slip away. Nothing they could say would pull  
her out of her spiraling depression.   
  
There was a brief chime and Ayeka's face appeared on screen. "Minagi,  
Washu. Ryo-Ohki and I have complete our sweep and are moving to the   
third section. I'll be -" She paused as she noticed Ryoko standing  
there. "Ryoko."  
  
"Ayeka." Ryoko's voice was still flat, but a hint of irritation was   
there. "You look like hell."  
  
"Well, I've been too busy looking for Tenchi to get any rest," Ayeka   
huffed back. Actually, she did feel like hell, and she was sure she   
looked like it too. Not that she'd admit it to Ryoko.  
  
"You think he's alive?" No preamble, no subtlety - Ryoko was past all   
of that.  
  
"I certainly do!" Ayeka snapped back. "You think he is, don't you?"  
  
Ryoko bristled. "Of course I do! I just thought you might try to give   
up on him or something."  
  
"Never! I've been out here searching while you've been lying around."  
  
"Lying around!" Ryoko spluttered in indignation. "Maybe you've   
forgotten that I was skewered not too long ago? "  
  
Washu watched in amazement; she could feel the strength flowing back  
into Ryoko. Biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, she  
watched as Ayeka unknowingly goaded Ryoko away from her depression. It  
was amazing how those two got along.  
  
"Be that as it may, I'm going to be the one to rescue Lord Tenchi."   
Ayeka's eyes fluttered dreamily as she imagined modestly accepting   
Tenchi's tender thanks.  
  
"Hey! Hey - stop that, I know what's running through your dirty little   
mind, princess!" Ryoko fumed at the thought of Ayeka finding Tenchi   
before she did. "Not if I find him first!"  
  
"Just how did I end up wrestling for Lord Tenchi's affections with an   
ex-demon?" Ayeka squeezed her eyes together in dismay. "Ryoko, you're   
just too much."  
  
Ryoko laughed when a fully irritated Ayeka cut the communications.   
Turning back to face Minagi and Washu, she stopped as she noticed the   
two of them staring at her. "What?"  
  
Minagi grinned helplessly at her and just shrugged her shoulders before  
turning back to her work.   
  
"Nothing," replied Washu carefully. "I was just wondering if you could  
give me a hand with this bank of sensors."  
  
"Sure!" It had felt good to hear Ayeka so confident about Tenchi, not   
that Ryoko would ever admit it. Now if she could only figure out why   
Minagi and Washu were acting so funny.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mihoshi gave a mournful wail as she sat amidst cables, circuit boards,   
and whatnot. Yukinojo tore through space practically blind, devastated   
by Mihoshi's attempts to tune his sensors. Now she sat sobbing amidst   
the scattered remnants of her well-meant intentions.   
  
"I'm `hic' so sorry, Yukinojo. I only wanted to help find Tenchi   
faster."  
  
[Mihoshi, please promise me you'll never, ever, try this again. My   
sensor range has been cut to .01% of nominal. We'll be lucky not to   
hit something at this rate. Please let me get my systems fixed.]  
  
Mihoshi wailed again. Now flying blind due to her own efforts, she   
despaired of ever finding Tenchi. Her increasingly confused and   
thoughts were eventually interrupted by Yukinojo's ever louder attempts  
to get her attention.   
  
[Mihoshi, we are heading towards an unknown object at high speed.   
Please brace yourself.]  
  
"Can't we evade it?" Mihoshi looked up at Yukinojo with her wide blue   
eyes.  
  
Yukinojo sighed. [Unfortunately, Mihoshi, you have also managed to   
damage my navigational controls. I'm currently attempting to reduce our  
forward momentum.]  
  
Mihoshi had just started to scream when they impacted.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Minagi flinched when Mihoshi's face came up onscreen; she must have   
been half asleep on her feet. Her eyes widened as she noticed that,   
behind Mihoshi, her ship looked like a disaster area: smoke and cables   
everywhere.  
  
"Uh - Minagi, Washu, Ayeka. zzzzqtt"   
  
Mihoshi's face wobbled, her image constantly breaking up.  
  
"I think - bzzzztt - bumped into another - skkktzzz - like the one who  
helped me -" She seemed to be biting her lip and crying a bit. "Please  
help!"  
  
Minagi turned and looked at Washu and Ryoko in amazement. Washu smiled   
back and said, "I think we've gotten our miracle."  
  
Avashar groaned and pulled himself off the deck. "How the hell could a  
ship run straight into the TurtleDove?" Even without any active   
cloaking, the TurtleDove was stealthy enough without any power to avoid  
nearly all forms of detection. Of course, with the crippling damage   
from the blast and subsequent system failures, it wasn't like Avashar   
didn't want to be found.   
  
Especially with Tenchi in stasis. Their few remaining ergs were   
dedicated to keeping the stasis system up and running. Avashar could   
only sense the incoming ship; he watched helplessly as it headed  
straight at them. Luckily, it began braking rapidly just before impact;  
any faster and it would have meant bad news for the diminutive  
TurtleDove. As it was, the new damage only further mangled the hull.  
  
Avashar gritted his teeth as the impact reopened just about every wound  
on his body. He hoped he wouldn't do anything too rash to his would-be  
rescuer. Of course, doing anything rash would require power, and the  
bulk of his energy had been stripped away, shielding the TurtleDove  
from the explosion. All he could do now was keep his wounds closed,   
some air and warmth around him, and a trickle of power to Tenchi's   
stasis field.  
  
Mihoshi pulled herself up from the piles of equipment all around and   
simply said "Oopsie!" She was busy untangling herself from all the  
cables draped around her when Washu's image snapped up on the com   
screen.   
  
"Uh, Mihoshi, are you OK?"  
  
"I'm fine, Washu. Should I go aboard?" Mihoshi asked, eager to help.  
  
"Better wait, I think you've helped enough for now," replied Washu, a  
slight smile on her face.   
  
"Damn it, wait a minute!" Ryoko said, brusquely crowding Washu aside.   
"Mihoshi, get on board and find Tenchi right now!"   
  
"Oh, alright Ryoko, I just have to get untangle - whoops." She crashed  
to the floor.  
  
Ryoko stared in amazement at the damage Mihoshi had wrought on her own  
ship. "Never mind," she muttered. Off screen, she snarled, "How fast  
can your ship move, Minagi?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tearing through space at top speed, the Hinase slowed only to meet up   
with Ryo-Ohki and take both Ayeka and the cabbit on board. The command  
deck became crowded as Ayeka, Minagi, Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki, and Washu all  
gathered to get the first look at the collision.  
  
Minagi whistled as she took in the damage to both ships. The TurtleDove  
had fared worse in the collision than the larger Yukinojo; several  
cloaking nodules were missing, and the entire hull was scarred and   
torn. Nevertheless, it still appeared to be functional, and she  
wondered just how durable that ship was. Repair drones were already  
scuttling across the surface.  
  
"I can say this, Avashar's no slouch when it comes to ship design."  
  
Washu nodded in agreement. "I wonder how close to the explosion it was.  
Of course, unlike Tsunami, it didn't have to shield anything but  
itself."  
  
"True, but you're still talking about a lot of power."  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka interrupted their conversation. "Who cares? Let's get   
Tenchi!" They stopped and looked at each other, horrified expressions   
on their face as they realized they had both said the same thing.  
  
Shaking her head in irritation, Ryoko snapped, "Fine, I'm going over   
there to find him myself." But instead of disappearing, Ryoko stayed  
right where she was.  
  
"Ryoko, what's the matter?" Ayeka looked at her worriedly. "Is that   
ship shielded like Rashava's?"  
  
"No, damn it! I'm too weak, I can't teleport over!" Ryoko's voice was   
anguished, and tears of frustration ran down her face. Turning quickly,  
she looked imploringly at Minagi. "Minagi, please tell me you can   
teleport over."   
  
Minagi felt exhausted, but concentrated. "Yes, I should have the   
strength to get over there."  
  
"Are you sure?" Washu looked concerned. "You haven't had a chance to   
rest at all."  
  
Minagi drew a deep breath. "I can do it. I know how much Tenchi means   
to all of you." She waved a hand, shooing away everyone's concerns.   
"Listen, I can get over there and back faster than any other means we   
have. Don't worry, I'll find him."  
  
"Thanks, Minagi," chimed Ryoko and Ayeka in concert. Looking at each   
other in horror, they pointed and cried out, "Stop that!" at the same   
time. Minagi shook her head ruefully as she teleported away.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avashar rested in the darkness. It appeared that the ship which had   
been tailing him from earlier had finally arrived. Then he felt a   
presence appear onboard, and he smiled.  
  
Minagi had finally boarded the mysterious ship she had been pursuing   
for so long. She smiled faintly.   
  
She concentrated. /Washu, can you hear me?/  
  
/Yes, loud and clear./ Washu's mental reply was sharp and clear.   
/Continue forward. My sensors indicate a power source further ahead./  
  
With Washu guiding her, Minagi moved through the TurtleDove, using her   
sword for illumination. Parts of the ship were in total darkness, while  
others were lit only by emergency lights. Wreckage and debris was   
scattered everywhere. Twice she passed small repair units cutting and   
fixing damaged bulkheads, the powerful glare of their cutters filling   
the area with a painful white light. They ignored her as she passed by.  
  
The inside of the TurtleDove was quite conventional, even austere.   
Minagi wrinkled her nose; the TurtleDove might be a cleanly designed   
ship, but it lacked any of the Hinase's warm touches. Then it hit her -  
the TurtleDove was like a daito katana: functional, deadly, but without  
any gilt or engraving.  
  
Her head jerked as Washu's voice interrupted her thoughts. /You should   
be close to the energy source, Minagi./  
  
Looking around, she gasped as she saw Tenchi, still clad in Jurai   
battle armor, floating in a glowing field of energy. Tears sparkled in   
her eyes as she saw his terrible wounds. Even in the weird light, he   
looked pale, so very pale.  
  
She felt something move nearby. Spinning, she came face to face with   
Avashar. Her sword blazed before him, yet he stood calmly. She could   
see that he hadn't escaped unscathed from the battle; in fact he looked  
as if he was on his last legs. She tensed, realizing that Tenchi's   
survival was entirely his doing, and yet this man was still responsible  
for so many of the deaths she witnessed earlier.   
  
Finally, she broke the awkward silence. "I need to teleport Tenchi back  
to my ship."  
  
Avashar arched an eyebrow at her blade, still blazing before him. "Are  
you planning on using that?"  
  
Minagi's face blushed. "Right. Sorry about that." Her sword vanished,  
leaving the two of them with only the pale blue light of the stasis   
field as illumination. Turning back to Tenchi, she looked at the dark   
stain down his left side. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"He was badly injured in the combat, and I lack both the ability and   
equipment to repair his damage. All I could do was place his body in   
stasis until I could get him repaired." Avashar moved slowly,  
painfully, to where Tenchi floated. He leaned against the stasis field   
and extended a hand towards her.  
  
"This is going to be a difficult teleport," she thought grimly. "I'm   
still weak from helping Ryoko."  
  
She took his hand. Her eyes widened as a trickle of power flowed into  
her with a small crackle. Startled, she looked at Avashar, who had   
slumped over.   
  
"There!"  
  
Minagi wobbled on her feet as she brought Tenchi and Avashar onto the   
Hinase. Ryoko was already at the stasis device, tears pouring down her   
face as she pounded a fist against its surface. Ayeka stood next to the  
device, one hand lightly touching the surface. Her weary, tear-streaked  
face made her look far older than her actual age.  
  
In the normal light of the Hinase, Tenchi's condition looked even worse  
than it had on Avashar's ship. Avashar didn't look too good, either;   
pale faced, he slumped against the stasis field, sweat beading his   
forehead.  
  
Washu stared at Tenchi. A small part of her shriveled up when she saw   
everyone's gaze turn towards her. She could feel their unabashed belief  
in her abilities. The hope in their eyes brought a lump to her throat.   
Yet Tenchi's wounds were significant, far worse than Ryoko's. This   
situation called for nothing less than the breeziest of attitudes.  
  
"Well, we can't leave Lord Tenchi alone for even a few minutes!" she   
said. Rubbing her hands together, she began snapping out orders. "Let's  
get him trundled into the medical bay and I'll patch him up in no   
time."  
  
Avashar followed Washu, the stasis field floating alongside him. Washu  
looked up at him, her eyes narrowing as she evaluated his injuries and  
aura. He was moving with the careful deliberation of someone in great  
pain.  
  
He noticed her calculating stare. Leaning down, he spoke in a low   
voice, "You will need my assistance to bring the stasis field down   
incrementally. It should allow you to work on one injured area at a   
time without exposing his entire system to shock all at once."   
  
Washu nodded, grateful that one of her worries was taken care of.   
Together they left the rest of the crew behind, slowly followed by the   
stasis device.  
  
Ayeka slowly slumped down, emotional exhaustion and physical injuries   
finally overcoming her. She felt Ryoko's presence next to her, and then  
nothing at all. Ryoko didn't say anything, she simply lifted Ayeka up   
in her arms and carried her off to her room, muttering to herself.   
  
Minagi smiled at Ryoko's retreating back. She could tell that Tenchi's   
condition was a deep shock to her and that helping Ayeka was talking   
her mind off Tenchi.  
  
[Minagi?]  
  
"Yes, Hinase?"  
  
[Mihoshi is hailing us.]  
  
A tearful Mihoshi appeared onscreen. Somehow, she had gotten even more  
wrapped up in the cables and debris from the collision and only her  
head and a foot were clear of the mess. She sniffled.  
  
"Minagi?"  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Do you," she sniffled again, "think you can come over here and help   
get me out of this?"  
  
Minagi smiled, knowing that at least some things seemed to remain   
constant in the Universe.   



	5. "Ashes of victory"

[Author's Note: This story is placed in the "No Need for Tenchi" manga   
universe, an extension of the OAV series. It includes individuals and   
references events from the first eight mangas.]  
  
No Need for Tenchi - Minagi's adventure  
Conclusion: Ashes of Victory  
  
  
  
Later in the evening  
  
Ayeka slowly woke up. For a while she lay still, trying to recall   
everything that had happened. At first, the battle seemed like a bad   
dream. Then a cold spike of fear pierced her heart as she remembered   
Tenchi's condition. With a low mournful cry, she lurched out of bed and  
slowly worked her way to the medical bay. A sad sight met her eyes:   
Ryoko was curled up in a ball in the hallway in front of the door,   
while Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki sprawled out along the wall across from the  
it.  
  
Just then, Minagi turned the corner with a pile of blankets in her   
arms. She watched Ayeka slowly ease herself down onto the floor and   
lean her head against the wall. Ayeka was instantly asleep and didn't   
even stir as Minagi, smiling, draped a blanket around her. After   
bundling Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki up as well, Minagi turned to Ryoko.  
  
She seemed to be asleep, but she was twisting slightly, as if she was  
wrestling with something dark and terrible. Minagi draped a blanket   
over her, taking care to tuck it around her shoulders. Ryoko seemed to  
settle down.  
  
Finished, Minagi started to rise.  
  
/Thanks, Minagi. For everything./ Ryoko's eyes were still shut, but a   
small sad smile crossed her face.  
  
Minagi felt a bittersweet sadness touch her thoughts. The pain behind   
them made her breath catch in her throat.  
  
/Ryoko, did I wake you?/  
  
/Doesn't matter, I was only having nightmares anyway./ A hurt  
expression crossed her face, echoing the pain and regret that swirled  
in her thoughts.  
  
/Ryoko, I'm sorry about Tenchi. If you hadn't had to save me and get so  
hurt, maybe things would have been different. If I never even came to  
you guys, this would have never happened./ Her thoughts came out in a  
rush; she could feel her guilt lashing at her conscience. Distantly she  
felt tears running down her face, but she held herself still, waiting   
for Ryoko's angry backlash.  
  
/No, not your fault. I'm just... scared I might never see Tenchi again.  
But don't ever regret what you did, never./ Ryoko opened her eyes and   
painfully sat up, gasping a bit. She looked at Minagi with tired eyes,   
but a faint smile played across her face. "Sit with me a bit, will you?  
I don't want to be alone right now." Her voice was soft and raspy.   
  
Minagi could only nod numbly at her. Shifting around, she leaned   
against the wall next to Ryoko. She wracked her mind for something to   
say. Then she felt Ryoko slumping gently against her. Ryoko's breathing  
was soft and steady; she was already asleep.  
  
Minagi smiled, glad to see her resting easier. Then she slowly drifted   
off.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu's eyesight blurred again and her head throbbed fiercely. It was  
over 48 hours since the explosion and she had been going full speed the  
whole time. Even finals at the Galactic University hadn't been this   
grueling. Tenchi's body was repaired, but Washu still hesitated to   
bring him out of stasis.   
  
Avashar had been out cold in a med-tank for the past eight hours. His   
help had been essential at first, until Washu figured out her own   
commands for the stasis field; after that she could control it more   
finely than he could. She paused, drew in a deep breath, then carefully  
began to bring Tenchi out of stasis completely. The field faded and   
she watched her instruments closely for any warning signs.   
  
Breathing: good.   
  
Heart rate: good.   
  
Brain waves: ...  
  
Washu's heart froze as she watched the brain activity only register the  
autonomic controls. All the higher brain functions were gone. She   
calmed herself and took her fifth shot of stimulant, making a pinwheel  
of fire burst in her head but clearing the cobwebs out completely. Her   
hands trembled as she began a lengthy series of tests.  
  
They were all negative.  
  
She wanted to cry. She had pulled Tenchi's body from the edge of death,  
but now all she had was the shell of the man they all loved. Tears   
rolled down her face; she clenched her fists in helpless rage. She   
couldn't even think about telling everyone about his condition, but she  
knew she had to.  
  
A sloshing sound from the second med-tank drew her attention to  
Avashar. The release mechanism engaged with a snap. The cover lifted  
off, allowing Avashar to slowly pull himself up. He looked blearily  
around.   
  
"How long has it been?"  
  
"Eight hours." Washu tossed a towel at him; it slapped him in the face.  
"Dry yourself off and get dressed. I've got to tell my friends some bad  
news." She felt bad for snapping at him, but Tenchi's loss and the   
thought of breaking the news to everyone was driving her mad. Without a  
word of apology she walked to the door, took a deep breath, keyed it   
open, and stepped into the corridor. The door closed behind her.  
  
Everyone outside snapped awake. With one look at Washu's expression,  
all the shouted questions froze and turned to ashes in their mouths.  
Ryo-Ohki gave a small wail of despair and started crying.   
  
The grief was so thick that nobody could speak. Ryoko worked her mouth  
several times, trying to ask the question she already knew the answer  
to.  
  
"T-Tenchi. Washu, what's with Tenchi?"   
  
Washu could feel her pain like a stab to her heart. But she didn't need  
a telepathic link to know how everyone felt; she could see it written   
on their faces.  
  
"I'm sorry. Tenchi's body, I was able to save. But when I brought him   
out of stasis, there was no Tenchi there. Whatever spark or soul that   
was Tenchi is gone, and I don't know how to bring it back." It galled   
her to say that, but she could only do so much. Miracles by science,  
yes, even a little extra here and there, but re-creating life - no. She  
felt numb. She knew she should say something, anything to bring  
everyone together, but that part of her was burned out and she wasn't  
sure if anything would ever bring it back.  
  
Ryo-Ohki flashed into her child form. With a plaintive "Mya" she ran   
and buried herself into Washu's arms. Sobbing as only an innocent can,  
Ryo-Ohki startled everyone out of their grim thoughts. Washu looked   
down at her and simply hugged her back, tears finally running down her   
face.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avashar slowly pulled himself out of the med-tank as the door closed  
behind Washu. He scrubbed himself dry, then peered around for his   
clothes. Seeing the tattered remnants from the battle, he shook his   
head ruefully and made a small gesture with his hand. A shimmering glow  
surrounded him. Moments later, he was fully clothed again.  
  
Even this small act was painful. Although many injuries were healed   
over, the healing process was a demanding strain on his body, and it   
had been pushed far beyond its limits.   
  
Nevertheless he still owed a debt to this young man. Standing over   
Tenchi's body, he was impressed with the work Washu had done. He hadn't  
realized how talented she was; the consummate skill with which she had   
essentially rebuilt Tenchi was amazing. There was only one piece   
missing.  
  
Avashar tilted his head to the side for a second. There was one catch   
with stasis fields: if one wasn't properly prepared before stasis, one   
would actually remain "awake". Although the body was completely paused   
in time, somehow one would continue to dream and recall the condition   
before stasis.   
  
Tenchi's situation hadn't lent itself well to stasis; his soul could  
very well have writhed in agony forever. Avashar had known that if he  
didn't pull Tenchi's essence from his broken body, Tenchi might very   
well return a screaming maniac, mind and spirit irrevocably ruined. He   
smiled grimly, knowing he could never have let such a brave soul perish  
in such a horrible way. Now, with the body ready, it was only a matter   
of returning the soul. It wouldn't even hurt that much.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tenchi slowly woke up. Blinking, he sat up and looked around at his   
surroundings. For a second he felt a burst of hope - was he home? It  
looked like home, but everything had a soft fuzziness about it, as if   
in a dream. Bits and pieces of the surrounding woods would fade in and   
out of focus. The sky above was crystal blue, dusted with a few soft   
clouds. No birds sang, nor was there any sense of a breeze.  
  
As though recalling a bad nightmare, he remembered the combat with  
Rashava. He looked down at his body to see that he was dressed in Jurai  
battle armor, but there was no pain, no wounds. "Am I dead?" His voice  
had a wondering quality about it, as if fear and doubt were gone.  
  
"That depends on your definition of dead."  
  
Tenchi spun around to see Avashar floating above the lake outside the  
house. He looked just like Rashava. A cold light shone through his  
skin. His eyes, though, were unlike Rashava's; they shone with warmth   
at odds with his harsh features.  
  
"Your body was heavily damaged during the battle with Rashava. I had to  
place it in stasis aboard my ship, but your essence I had to place   
elsewhere." He smiled at Tenchi's dumbstruck expression. "This is my   
astral body, Tenchi. As you might have suspected, Rashava and I were of  
the same race. At least we once were."  
  
He floated over and dropped to the ground next to Tenchi. The ancient  
armor covering his body was battered and torn. Thin trickles of blood  
shimmered down from where he had been stabbed in the chest.   
  
Tenchi was uneasy; he knew what answer he was going to get. "I remember  
fighting Rashava, but then, then I..."  
  
"Died. I believe that is the word you're looking for." Avashar winced   
in pain. "You are an amazing young man. I have never seen such a battle  
before; Rashava was practically wielding the power of a God and you   
fought him to a standstill."  
  
Tenchi flinched. "But in doing so, I stopped the last chance for   
another realm, another race, to survive. Doesn't that make me as bad as  
him?"  
  
"Hardly. You did what had to be done. Life is as precious here as it   
was in my realm, a fact that eluded most of my people. They viewed this  
realm as ripe for destruction and re-creation, so they could move in   
with nary a disruption to their comfortable existence as self-made   
lords of creation.  
  
"You ask if stopping Rashava makes you as bad as him, and I say no. My  
race changed and something precious was lost over the years. There was  
no effort made at reconciliation or colonization; their only interest   
was remaking everything to suit their needs."   
  
Avashar's grim expression softened into a sad smile. "But enough about   
the dead. I think it's time you were brought back into the land of the   
living."  
  
There was no preamble, no flashy bursts of light. One moment Tenchi was  
talking with Avashar; the next, his soul was back in his body.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tenchi's eyes flew open and he took a deep a series of deep shuddering  
breaths. Avashar leaned heavily against the med-tank and smiled down at  
him.   
  
"How are you doing?"  
  
Tenchi held his head for a second, the raw sensations coursing through   
his body threatening to overwhelm him. The feeling passed quickly and   
he was able to look blearily around. "Ok, I guess. Where am I?"  
  
"The Hinase. I'm not sure how they survived the blast, but they came   
looking for you."  
  
Ryoko's injury flashed in Tenchi's mind. "Ryoko! Is she alright?"  
  
"Yes. All your companions seem pretty worn out, but they're all in one   
piece." Avashar tossed a towel to Tenchi. "Better put this on, it seems  
to be your only source of clothing available. Washu just left. She   
seemed pretty upset."  
  
"Oh, why?"  
  
"A couple of minutes ago you were doing an excellent imitation of a   
vegetable."  
  
"What? You didn't tell her I was still alive?"  
  
Avashar looked a bit embarrassed. "I hadn't really thought about it. I   
never dreamt she could get your body repaired so quickly."  
  
Tenchi flinched at the thought of upsetting Washu like that. He only   
hoped that her happiness at seeing him alive would outweigh her urge to  
strangle Avashar for pulling a stunt like this.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Can... we at least see... Tenchi?" asked Ryoko tearfully.   
  
"Yes, I'm sorry." Washu said, and with a heavy heart opened the door.   
  
Washu found herself unable to speak. All the snappy patter and wit she   
prided herself on suddenly just evaporated. She could feel her chest   
tightening and her eyes welling up with tears. For the first time in   
her long life, Washu was never so happy at being so completely and   
utterly wrong.  
  
Tenchi stood beyond the doorway, awkwardly holding a towel around his   
waist. He blushed slightly at his state of undress. Then his blush   
deepened even more as he saw their looks of love, wonder, and joy at   
seeing him. A ringing silence filled the space between them. None of  
the women spoke, as if saying something would dispel this vision of the  
man they all loved.  
  
Tenchi would always remember that moment with crystal clarity: Washu   
shocked speechless, a dawning look of joy on her face; Ryo-Ohki as a   
small child clinging to Washu, her mouth open in amazement; Mihoshi's   
blue eyes shining with happiness; Minagi's stunned expression, a silly   
grin on her face; Ayeka stunned, a hand half raised towards him. Ryoko  
had a look of disbelief, but her eyes shone with joy.   
  
Blushing even more, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, hi."   
  
His words breaking the spell that held everyone still, Tenchi was   
nearly trampled by the press of women. Ryoko and Ayeka kept nudging   
each other out of the way while Ryo-Ohki clung to him and Mihoshi  
jumped up and down, laughing with joy. Washu was left standing in the   
doorway looking quite stunned. Minagi stood behind her, bright eyed   
with happiness.  
  
Avashar carefully edged past the mad press of happy people and worked   
his way into the hallway. Washu fixed him with a stern look. "You could  
have warned me, ya know."  
  
"Sorry, but I didn't expect you to be finished so quickly with Tenchi's   
surgery. It wasn't going to be an issue until we completely spun the   
stasis field down. And that whole towel in the face bit threw me off."   
  
Washu stared up at Avashar, patted his arm, and smiled brightly up at   
him. "That's alright, just don't ever, ever, do that again. By the way,  
how did you do it?"  
  
Avashar leaned down and whispered three words softly into her ear. An   
incredulous look of disbelief crossed her face, before slowly turning   
into a maniacal grin. He straightened back up with a wince and grinned   
back at her. "Anyway, you have to admit it was fairly - ahem -  
dramatic".  
  
Washu shook her head in slow disbelief. "I hate dramatic, especially   
when I'm not the one doing it."   
  
Avashar smiled again and started down the hallway when Minagi blocked  
his path. She stared at him and said quietly, "I haven't forgotten what  
you did to those traders".   
  
Avashar's smile faded. He looked back and said just as quietly, "Those   
traders were dealing in materials so deadly to existence they forfeited  
any claim to their own lives. If enough of those books had been present  
at the library, Rashava would have been that much more powerful and  
could have initiated the re-creation right then and there.  
  
"You're a good person, Minagi. I hope you never have to make the   
decisions I have had to make. I never enjoyed killing, but this was   
war, plain and simple."  
  
"So what are you?"  
  
"Perhaps we should save this conversation until later. Especially since  
everyone else is, well, occupied." Avashar nodded towards the chaos in  
the medical bay.  
  
Minagi smiled and then nodded in agreement. "We'll talk later, then."  
  
Washu moved next to Minagi and watched him stride down the corridor, a   
serious expression on her face. Minagi turned and regarded the   
diminutive redhead. "Washu, what did he whisper to you?"  
  
Glancing back up at Minagi, Washu quietly replied, "Deus Ex Machina."  
  
Minagi scrunched her eyebrows together. "So what is that? A type of   
device or something?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that."  
  
Minagi was going to press Washu for more details, but then Tenchi let   
out a yelp and went streaking by (literally) as his towel came loose.   
Ryo-Ohki gave a cry of startled surprise and stumbled to the ground   
back in her cabbit form, while Mihosi hopped up and down, red faced.  
Washu sighed and shook her head ruefully at Tenchi's rapidly retreating  
bare backside. Minagi blushed furiously and covered her mouth to keep   
from laughing.  
  
"Ryoko, what did you do?" Ayeka screamed.  
  
"It was an accident, really!" Ryoko replied, the model of hurt   
innocence. Flying after him, she waved the missing towel. "Tenchi, wait  
up, I'll put this back on for you!" Ayeka followed close behind,   
obviously preparing a flying tackle to bring Ryoko down. She was   
muttering under her breath something about "if Ryoko thought she was  
injured before..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Later in Tenchi-time meant one embarrassed Tenchi, and several hours   
more before everyone could gather around for a light dinner. Everyone   
was burned out to a greater or lesser degree, so Tenchi actually did   
the honors and whipped up a meal. Minagi sipped sake and grinned   
at Ryoko and Ayeka's over-the-top wrestling for Tenchi's affection.   
Even their sniping at each other seemed to have a giddy edge to it.   
Ryo-Ohki had converted back to her cabbit form and was happily   
munching away on a carrot out of Tenchi's hand. Washu still  
looked worn out, but she had made it to dinner anyway. Mihosi would   
only miss a meal if a supernova had vaporized her into component atoms.  
  
After the meal had finished, Minagi turned to Avashar and said again,   
"So who are you?"  
  
He took a deep breath as he realized that everybody was looking   
intently at him. "I am one of the Damned. 40,000 years ago, a powerful   
race discovered that their reality was collapsing. Their grand council   
decided to deploy agents to prevent anyone from attempting to escape   
into this realm. It was the council's fear that, as the day of the   
dimensional collapse drew nearer, popular opinion might try to force   
something drastic that could extinguish all life in both realms.  
  
"I was a volunteer, one of many, and our entire group jokingly called   
ourselves the Damned - as fine a bit of gallows humor as there ever   
was. We were never to return to our home dimension, nor was anyone   
supposed to know we were here, and we were bound by oath to stop anyone  
escaping or forcing entry into this dimension.  
  
"Our abilities were strengthened, and our life spans extended with the   
latest technology. We were the best, the brightest, and we were tasked   
with preventing our race from escaping its doom.  
  
"One thousand years later, the council was overthrown. Knowledge of our  
existence was made public and we received news that all our families   
and friends had been torn apart by angry mobs. Over the millennia, we   
foiled countless attempts at crossover. Our names were cursed and we   
became an entire race's boogieman for the next 39,000 years. But we   
were never supposed to be operating unsupported for so long."  
  
Minagi shivered, trying to imagine what it would be like to be hated by  
an entire race of people. Glancing around the table, she could see that  
the thought was disturbing to everyone else.  
  
Washu leaned forward, interrupting Avashar. "You mean to tell me your   
people didn't consider the thought of trans-locating to this realm   
peacefully? If you haven't noticed, this universe is a pretty big   
place. There's plenty of room."  
  
Avashar regarded Washu silently for a moment before replying. "Yes,   
that was one of the hopes of the original council. In all reality,   
though, it was a foolish dream. To trans-locate peacefully would have   
required a tremendous loss of power for our people. By forcing a new   
creation in this realm, the rules preventing an easy transfer over to   
this realm would have been removed. My people were too comfortable with  
their god-like existences to allow any loss of their power."  
  
Washu nodded slowly. "So - rather than enter this realm weaker but   
alive, your people would rather destroy all life here to keep their   
power?"  
  
"Such a decision is remarkably easy to make when you don't regard   
anything in this realm as worthy of being considered alive." Avashar   
continued as if he had locked this story up for the time when he could   
share it. "Unsupported, our losses mounted. At first it was from   
combat, but as time passed others took their own lives. Then old age   
began to decimate our ranks. The only solution was to transfer our   
essence to another host. We could extend that host's life span, but not  
indefinitely. So we would have to transfer again. Each time, a little   
piece of us would disappear, our abilities would diminish, and the   
personality of the host would grow stronger.  
  
"As the energies destroying my realm grew in strength, it became more   
difficult to send waves of warriors across. The battles grew   
increasingly savage. Fewer but more powerful `champions' would cross  
over. We were becoming too weak for direct conflict, so we resorted to   
even more drastic measures. About 10,000 years ago, we began bombarding  
planets that housed our brothers' and sisters' bases. More often, we   
would use proxies to fight our battles, initiating revolutions and   
outright war. Each atrocity turned us more into the monsters they made   
us out to be."   
  
Minagi's breath caught, as she realized that the man before her had  
been present at those ancient massacres, if not the cause. Glancing   
around, she could see that everyone was disturbed at the ease with  
which he had employed violence to achieve his goals.  
  
Avashar continued, not noticing their looks of horror and revulsion.   
"Our numbers dwindled even more rapidly and soon there was only a   
handful of us left. Rashava was the most advanced champion ever to   
cross over into this realm; that was over two thousand years ago.   
During that time, he personally killed the five remaining Damned left   
in this dimension. Only then did he activate his final plan utilizing   
the collected knowledge of higher dimensions here to undo creation and   
transfer everyone over.  
  
"I barely escaped from my first meeting with Rashava, and he believed I  
was dead. I barely was able to join up with my last host. Our   
personalities are completely intermeshed, and I, well, am no longer who  
I was 40,000 years ago. The only thing I've truly kept pure is my   
name."  
  
He smiled sadly. "I never expected to see the day where I would outlast  
my entire dimension, my race. I am no longer bound by the oaths I swore  
so long ago."  
  
Minagi clenched her fists. "Still, you didn't have to kill those  
traders."  
  
"Maybe you've forgotten, but there was a war going on. I couldn't face  
Rashava directly, so I undermined his sources of power."  
  
"You could have let them go. What you did was murder, pure and simple."  
  
"Boarding one of those ships would have taken time, and the others   
would have fled the scene. If you're expecting me to express some grief  
at their deaths, don't waste your time." Avashar's expression was one  
of hurt anger as he looked around and saw everyone's look of  
disagreement.  
  
"What? Don't look at me like that." He got up, bristling angrily. "I   
always hoped for victory and did my best to accomplish that goal.   
40,000 years of sacrifice and blood is on my hands, and what do I get?  
I get to enjoy the ashes of victory."   
  
Tenchi shook his head in disagreement. "Saving this realm didn't   
require so many atrocities. What's the use of victory if you've become   
what you despised?"  
  
"What a wonderfully child-like point of view. Try living as long as I   
have and not get blood on your hands."   
  
"I've lived 20,000 years and -" Washu was interrupted in mid-sentence.  
  
"Please, don't tell me you have no responsibility for Kagoto's actions?  
His path and mine crossed more than once, and you honestly expect me to  
believe that he suddenly up and went bad on you? His naked ambition   
must have been painfully obvious, even in the beginning."  
  
Washu's eyes flashed angrily. "Hey, I'm not a mind-reader. I had no   
idea he would turn out like that."  
  
"Then perhaps you still had some growing up to do."  
  
Everyone flinched. Washu raised her chin and fixed Avashar with a cold   
look. "Maybe. The question I have for you is whether your actions were   
out of concern for the life in this realm, or simply to satisfy your   
oath."  
  
"Life, of course. I've just come to accept the fact that no battle is   
won without loss, and usually it's the innocents who pay the price."   
Rising, he bowed slightly to Washu and started striding away.  
  
Minagi's mouth was dry. "Where are you going?"  
  
Avashar didn't look back, merely replied as he walked away. "My ship.   
Even heavily damaged, I can power it enough to get far away from all of  
you."  
  
Minagi flashed next to Avashar as he strode along the corridor. "I   
didn't mean to cause this kind of trouble. You saved Tenchi, and we're   
grateful. It's just that you can't expect us to accept what you are so   
easily."  
  
"I'm not looking for acceptance. Not anymore." He reached a viewport   
and stared out into space. The TurtleDove glided into view, still   
heavily damaged. He turned hard eyes upon Minagi. "I owed a debt to   
Tenchi, and now we're even. I'll take my leave now, if you don't mind."  
  
"What will you do?"  
  
"There are plenty of other groups and individuals who tamper with   
forbidden knowledge in this galaxy. Other powers still strive to   
influence events here to their liking. I think it's time I paid them a   
visit."  
  
"So you're going to continue killing." Minagi's voice was flat with   
disappointment.  
  
A portal opened next to Avashar, the dim interior of the TurtleDove   
appearing within. Stepping through, he looked back at Minagi and simply  
replied, "As necessary." The portal snapped shut, and the TurtleDove   
slowly boosted away from the Hinase.  
  
Minagi watched the TurtleDove until it disappeared from sight.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Aftermath  
  
  
Minagi sat with Ryoko on the beam above the living room. Swinging her   
feet slightly, she smiled at the view of the household from above. "So   
this is where you like to hang out?"  
  
"Yeah, I can avoid a lot of the chores this way."  
  
Minagi chuckled at Ryoko's wry tone. Thinking about the past week's   
events, she turned and looked at Ryoko. "Ryoko, you're kinda my mom,   
right?"  
  
Ryoko tensed. "Whoa, I didn't even know who you were until recently.   
There's no way I'm your mother."  
  
"I know, but technically your are. It's just that Washu wanted me to   
call her mom instead."  
  
"Washu." Ryoko slumped, and sighed in frustration. "She never quits,   
does she?"  
  
"No, she doesn't. But at the least I would like to think of you as   
family. I don't really have any, since Master Yakage." Minagi was   
surprised at how it still hurt to think about him. There was Hinase,   
but it would be nice to know she had a family, even one as weird as   
this. "I just hate the thought of being alone."  
  
"Yeah, I never had anything resembling a family until I met everyone   
here. Just don't get me started on Washu, though." Ryoko realized she   
was avoiding the question and hesitantly touched Minagi's hand. "I   
think I'd like that. I mean, you as family." Her cheeks blushed; it had  
been harder to say those words than she thought.  
  
Minagi smiled and squeezed Ryoko's hand. "It's a start, at least."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ayeka rested in the bath, eyes closed, the warm water relaxing her   
muscles. She was feeling better now that the shock of all the events   
was finally passing. She sighed and reflected on all the activity after  
the climatic battle.   
  
She was still in contact with countless galactic and Jurai  
bureaucracies. Explaining how the Ship of the Beginning had been   
damaged by a shockwave from a newborn star wasn't exactly the highlight  
of the trip back home. Explaining how exactly a newborn star was   
burning within Jurai protected space wasn't a treat either.  
  
"But nobody ever said that being a Princess of Jurai was easy," she  
thought aloud.  
  
She stretched luxuriously and sipped some sake. The soft rush of water   
was entirely too soothing. Then there was a soft splash, followed by   
silence.  
  
"Uh, Ayeka?" Ryoko's voice came from around the corner.  
  
Ayeka sighed. "Yes?"  
  
Still out of sight, Ryoko hesitated. "Yeah. Uh, thank you. Minagi told   
me about how you protected Washu and me."  
  
Ayeka opened her eyes a faint smile playing on her lips. "You're   
welcome. Would you like some sake?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that."  
  
Ryoko slid around the corner and accepted a cup from her. They sat and   
sipped, a companionable silence between them.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Aboard the Yukinojo, Mihoshi stretched, having completed the first  
draft of her report to Galaxy Police HQ. Trying to explain what had  
happened to her supervisors was no easy task. Just the thought of   
trans-dimensional entities from another reality fighting a war for   
40,000 years to undo creation was hard enough to grasp. The added bonus  
of explaining how Jupiter had become a brightly burning star didn't   
make things any easier. Thankfully, Princess Ayeka was assisting with   
all the different organizations clamoring for information.  
  
Shaking her head, she turned back to her work. The additional   
information she had pulled from the GP archives was piled in front of   
her. By using the earliest records dating back 30,000 years, she had  
pinpointed several instances of planetary destruction, wars, and   
rebellions which all indicated the involvement of the Damned.  
  
Nobody could have noticed this pattern without understanding what was  
behind them. Individually, they all appeared like random attacks or   
wars without reason. When she correlated all the known pieces, a   
horrible tapestry of mayhem and bloodshed unfolded. Many of the earlier  
records could only estimate the loss of life, but it stretched into the  
billions over the years.  
  
She knew she could be wrong. Many of those disasters and wars could   
have been of natural origin, but even if only a fraction were by the   
actions of the Damned, they were still responsible for untold millions   
of deaths.  
  
Mihoshi steeled herself for the next draft. This would be her longest   
report ever.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sitting outside, Sasami laughed as Ryo-Ohki piteously wailed for   
another carrot. She dangled the orange slice of heaven before the   
cabbit's nose for a second before letting her snatch it out of her   
hand. Ryo-Ohki scampered off at top speed, prize in mouth, tearing past  
Tenchi in her eagerness to find a choice hiding spot to devour the  
tasty morsel.  
  
"Tenchi! Are you back from the field already?"  
  
"Yes, Sasami. Washu told me to take it easy for the next couple of   
days." Tenchi winced, remembering the terrible wounds from the battle.   
He sat down slowly next to Sasami and sighed in relief.  
  
Sasami threw her arms around him. "I'm glad you're okay, Tenchi. I was  
worried about you."  
  
He paused, remembering what his grandfather had mentioned. "Sasami, are  
you still having bad dreams? Grandfather said you weren't sleeping well  
since the explosion occurred."  
  
Her bright smile faded a bit and she hugged Tenchi tighter. "I didn't   
sleep well until everyone got home safe and sound. I'm still really   
tired, but at least I'm not having bad dreams anymore." She snuffled.  
"I don't ever want to have to go through that again."  
  
"I don't want you to go through that again either, Sasami."  
  
She snuggled up to Tenchi and leaned her head against his side. Tenchi  
flinched at first, then smiled gently and relaxed. The sunlight warmed  
him and the cool breeze crossing the lake was refreshing. He was amazed  
at how quickly things could revert to normal after such an adventure.   
His lips quirked in a smile; this blissful tranquility was vastly   
preferable to fighting and racing all over space.   
  
Suddenly he noticed that Sasami's breathing had slowed into a steady   
rhythm. Tenchi whispered softly, "Sasami? Huh, asleep already. You're   
more tired than I realized." He froze as he felt a presence appear   
nearby.  
  
"That's because she's also healing," Tsunami's voice whispered out of   
the air. Shimmering into being, she stood before Tenchi, who was   
awkwardly trying not to shift and disturb Sasami's sleep.  
  
"Tsunami. Thanks for protecting everyone from the explosion. But what   
do you mean, she's healing?"  
  
"Remember, Sasami and I are linked. It wasn't easy shielding everyone   
from the blast, I took more damage than I expected. Since I have been   
healing, Sasami has been feeling the effect also." Tsunami smiled and   
continued on softly, "I actually didn't expect this to happen, but I   
have never bonded this closely to a life before."  
  
"She'll be alright, won't she?"  
  
"We'll be fine," Tsunami gently corrected, before breaking into a wide   
smile. "Of course, the Emperor of Jurai is a bit upset that I've been   
damaged. He seems convinced you are somehow to blame for all of this."  
She chuckled at Tenchi's sigh of frustration.  
  
Her smile faded as she grew serious again. She knelt down in front of   
Tenchi and rested a phantasmal hand on his knee. Her beautiful face was  
regretful, and she spoke awkwardly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you   
at the same time, Tenchi. It - hurt - not knowing what happened to you   
after the explosion."  
  
Tenchi felt his face flush in embarrassment. "Oh, that's alright,   
Tsunami. I guess I was lucky Avashar could get me away from it."  
  
Tsunami jerked her hand away from his knee as if she had just been   
burned. "Did you say Avashar?"  
  
Tenchi was surprised at the sharp question from her. He nodded. "Yes,   
he's from somewhere else - another realm, he called it. Why, do you   
know him?"  
  
Tsunami rose gracefully, her expression slightly troubled. "Oh, it's   
nothing. The name just reminded me of someone - but he would have died   
long ago."  
  
"Well, he claimed he's been around for the last forty thousand years. I  
don't know how old he was prior to that."  
  
Tsunami looked even more troubled but didn't pursue the topic any   
further. "I have to go, Tenchi. I'm glad you're safe and sound. Please   
don't ever get into trouble like that again, I hate worrying about you   
like that." Ducking her head shyly, she leaned down and placed a soft   
kiss on his forehead. Tenchi could feel a faint tingle where her lips   
brushed his head. Smiling again at his slightly traumatized expression,  
she straightened back up and faded from view.  
  
Tenchi still had a slightly dazed expression on his face when he felt   
Sasami stir and raise her head. "Tenchi, I'm sorry, I was so tired I  
just fell asleep right against you." She scrubbed her eyes and blinked   
several times at him.  
  
"It was no bother, Sasami." Tenchi decided not to ask her about   
Tsunami. "How do you feel?"  
  
"I feel a whole lot better." A sudden look of dismay crossed her face.   
"Oh my! I almost forgot, I've got to get lunch started." Scrambling to   
her feet, she tugged impatiently at Tenchi's hand. "Since you're not in  
the field, maybe you'd like to help out in the kitchen?"  
  
Getting up, he smiled crookedly at her. "Sure. So what magic are you   
planning to work in the kitchen today?"  
  
"I've got a recipe for a new dish and I hope you'll like it!" She had   
already dismissed her dark thoughts and was tugging Tenchi impatiently   
towards the kitchen, both of them laughing.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu sat in her lab, ignoring all the merriment around the house. She  
stared blankly at the screen of her untouched workstation. Rashava's   
words before the battle still rang in her ears, the implication   
terrifying.  
  
The long lost memories had flashed so vividly before the crystal; but  
now she could barely remember them. "Or I don't want to remember them,"  
she thought. Blocking the event from Minagi's mind had been a snap   
decision, but she remembered the look of unease Minagi had given her   
before the battle.  
  
Washu shivered and wondered again if there was such a thing as too much  
knowledge.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Obviously, all the Tenchi characters belong to Pioneer, Viz   
Communications, etc. I'm only borrowing them for this story.  
  
I would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance in   
proofreading my story (in order of reply).   
  
Trey - Trey's quick replies and comments helped me improve the first   
rough draft. Trey even was brave enough to proofread the second draft   
of my story!  
  
nik - nik provided a number of very helpful technical and character   
comments. After reading his detailed and lengthy comments, I began to   
get a sinking sensation on the number of drafts I had ahead of me.  
  
Bob Cannard - Bob was a tremendous help in improving the technical   
accuracy of this story. He also provided a long and very professional   
list of issues, questions, and criticisms. His assistance in the final   
proof was outstanding, and very helpful.  
  
Tawnia Wright - Humblest thanks to my lovely wife for accepting my   
sudden Tenchi fever, and all the time spent working on this story. She   
also caught an embarrassing number of typos and whatnot when I finally   
showed her the story. She claims she will forgive all this if I get her  
a Ryo-Ohki doll.   
  
Again, thanks.   
  
  
Timeline  
-40,000 Council forms dimensional security force. Training and   
deployment begins, unofficially referred to as the  
`Damned'.  
-39,000 Plan discovered, council overthrown. Friends and family of   
the Damned are murdered. War begins.   
-20,000 Extreme end of Damned life span in this dimension. Process  
of bonding with other life-forms begin.   
-10,000 As Damned grow weaker, they take more drastic measures to   
prevent entrance to this dimension. First act of planetary  
destruction occurs in -10,972.   
-2,000 Rashava, most powerful of all champions, enters this realm.  
-100 Rashava battles the five remaining Damned. Avashar is the  
only Damned to escape alive (barely).  
0 Rashava initiates final plan to collect sources of   
dimensional energy to redo creation.  
  
Bonus Points. If you caught the following, pat yourself on the back.   
You're weird.  
1) Avashar = Avatar? Nope, but nice try though!  
2) V1z = Viz Communications, Inc.  
3) Avashar, Rashava both owe credit to Harry Turtledove's "Misplaced   
Legion (Videssos Cycle) series. (Get the ship's name now? :) ) I   
added an `a' to the names to protect the innocent. I highly   
recommend reading this series.  
4) August Derleth is an author who has written a number of stories in   
HP Lovecraft's genre. Alhazred's Necronomicon, the Pnakotic   
Manuscripts, and Von Juntz's Unaussprechlichen Kulten all come from  
HP Lovecraft's stories. ("Unaussprechlichen Kulten" was Robert E.   
Howard's creation; Lovecraft only borrowed it.   
http://www.hplovecraft.com/creation/tomes.htm - Bob Cannard). I   
highly recommend reading both of these authors.  
5) Some of the grimmer quotes uttered by Rashava/Avashar owe themselves  
to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  
5) "Deus Ex Machina", or "God in the Machine". A literary device used   
to solve an impossible problem, and used frequently by hacks :) and  
Hollywood movies.  
  
I added these elements to the story because I have enjoyed all these   
genres and wanted to pay homage to them in my own peculiar way. Either   
way, I hope you enjoyed my first fic. Feel free to comment/criticize.  
  
Regards,  
John Wright  
john.k.wright@worldnet.att.net  



End file.
